lawsuits - Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo

Wanted Fugitive Responsible for UCI Fertility Scandal Arrested in Mexico City

Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:49:00 GMT

It was 15 years ago that Orange County was rocked with a scandal that only Hollywood could have created. Dr. Richard Asch was one of two physicians responsible for the switching of frozen embryos for over a dozen unsuspecting woman; Dr. Asch is now being held in a Mexico City by authorities, while US prosecutors are awaiting to extradite him to Southern California to face federal mail fraud and tax evasion charges. Federal Mail Fraud is covered under Title 18 of the United States Code, Chapter 63, and is typically filed in conjunction with another violation.

It is not clear how authorities caught up with the wanted fugitive, but it is known that Dr. Asch and his partner, Dr. Jose Balmaceda, brought ceaseless controversy to the UC Irvine Center for Reproductive Health; UC Irvine has paid out more than $27 million to settle at least 140 lawsuits filed as a result of the fertility clinic scandal. A federal judge in Argentina allegedly tried Asch on similar fraud charges, on which Asch was acquitted. His Attorney argues that to face the same charge in the US would constitute “double jeopardy,” a procedural defense that forbids a defendant from being tried on the same charge. In many countries the protection against double jeopardy is a constitutional right, including Mexico and the United States.

Arizona Illegal Immigration Law Faces Lawsuit

Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:08:00 GMT

The U.S. Justice Department will be filing a lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of the controversial Arizona bill that targets illegal immigrants. This lawsuit will set the stage for a federal government vs. state government conflict. The federal government will most likely seek an injunction delaying implementation of the Arizona law since it sees the state law as usurping federal authority, specifically; the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution which says federal law overrides state law. Arizona has employed a stricter version of the already existing federal law which says it is illegal for someone to be in the country illegally. Arizona goes as far as to allow officers to question a person’s immigration status if there is a reasonable suspicion that they are in the country illegally while enforcing other laws. Arizona passed their law after years of allegedly dealing with problems associated with illegal immigration. Arizona is the biggest entryway into the U.S. for illegal immigrants, and is home to an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants.

Orange County Deputies bring Lawsuit to Stop Early Release of Inmates

Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:07:00 GMT

The union representing around 1,800 deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department filed a lawsuit on February 16, 2010 to stop the early release of inmates from Orange County jails. This lawsuit, modeled after the one filed in Sacramento County, is the second one of its kind. In the Sacramento case, the judge issued a temporary restraining order halting the release of inmates under the new state law SB X3 18. Superior Court Judge Loren E. McMaster ruled that “the law was intended for state, not county inmates, and that the release of inmates into the streets while the number of deputies is being reduced is a ‘formula for disaster'” (Orange County Register). Attorneys representing the union argued that the state law, which went into effect January 25th, was meant to affect state prisons only, not county jails. Between January 25th and February 9th, 311 inmates have been released early from Orange County jails. Other counties, such as Los Angeles, are applying the law differently and in turn not releasing any inmates early. In the present suit, attorneys have also cited an inmate who was released early from Sacramento County jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon who then went on to attempt to rape a woman just hours after his release. Kevin Peterson’s case is commonly referred to by law enforcement officials when stating opposition to this new law.

Student Detained by TSA over Arabic Flashcards

Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:18:00 GMT

Nicholas George, a Pomona College student, was detained at Philadelphia airport for carrying Arabic-English flashcards in his pocket. George was carrying these cards with him as his major is Middle Eastern Studies. George has now filed a federal lawsuit against employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department for his five hour detention in which he was abusively interrogated about the 9/11 terrorist attacks and also asked if he was a member of a “communist group.”

The lawsuit charges that George’s Constitutional rights were violated–his Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable seizure and his First Amendment right to free speech. George was never informed of why he was handcuffed, detained or arrested, and he was never informed of his rights such as a right to remain silent or a right to have an attorney present during questioning. George was finally let go with a ticket to fly home the next day, but was never given any apology or explanation.

Family Sues Los Angeles County

Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:16:00 GMT

Mitrice Richardson was a graduate of Cal State Fullerton in Orange County and vanished last September near Malibu. Her family has now brought a suit against Los Angeles County for their lack of efforts. The Richardson family’s attorney is alleging negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wrongful death at the hands of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Richardson was last seen in September when she was arrested one night for not paying a bill at an upscale Malibu restaurant. She was later released from the sheriff’s station without her car, phone or any money. Deputies let her go without conducting a psychological evaluation when strong evidence indicated Richardson was having mental problems at the time. Richardson’s father, frustrated, commented: “I’ve been begging. I’ve been pleading. I’ve been asking for all the help I can get. I haven’t gotten anywhere.”

The Sheriff’s department is saying, in their defense, that Richardson did not seem mentally incapacitated to the point where they would deem a mental evaluation was necessary.

The multi-million dollar lawsuit is now pending.