In The News

Vicki Sarmiento Selected as 2021 National Lawyers Guild Honoree

CNN
Wrongful death suit filed over death of 'ER' actress Vanessa Marquez

The Daily Mail UK
Mother of 'ER' actress Vanessa Marquez sues city of South Pasadena over her shooting death by police

LA Times
Mother of Vanessa Marquez files wrongful death lawsuit against South Pasadena, police

ABC 7
Vanessa Marquez death: Friends call for justice in shooting of actress by South Pasadena police

South Pasadenan
Vanessa Marquez | Wrongful Death Claim Filed Over South Pasadena Police Shooting of Actress

Vicki I. Sarmiento

A leader in her field, Vicki Sarmiento champions Civil Rights cases throughout the Southwest. She is a 2021 National Lawyers Guild Honoree.

A graduate of Hastings College of Law, Ms. Sarmiento came into national prominence during the OJ Simpson trial as a legal analyst  & commenter for network news.

She was also counsel for the high profile Donovan Jackson police abuse case which resulted in the Congressional Black Caucus inviting her to speak at a Congressional Forum on Police Misconduct. CLICK HERE

Ms. Sarmiento also litigated a class action lawsuit against Magic Mountain amusement park for civil rights violations where visitors were being racially profiled, searched and prohibited from entry on an arbitrary & capricious basis.

She went on to blaze an impressive series of wins on dozens of landmark cases that have impacted Civil Rights law in California and the Ninth Circuit.   

Ms. Sarmiento specializes in Police Brutality, Wrongful Death, Jail Abuse, Juvenile Abuse, Sexual Abuse and Personal Injury. 

Member of: 

National Police Accountability Project	Mexican American Bar Association		Consumer Attorneys of California

Services

Key Cases

Howard v. County of Riverside, $7.8 Million Verdict
Siehna Cotton et al. v. City of Eureka, $4.57 Million Verdict
Andre Chapman v. Florida Department of Corrections, et al., $4.5 Million Settlement
J.M.M. v County of Los Angeles, et al., $4.25 Million Settlement
Beas v. County of Los Angeles, et al., $2.8 Million Settlement
Hirschfield v. San Diego Unified Port District, $2.5 Million Settlement
Jacobo v. County of Los Angeles, et al., $750,000 Settlement

• Howard v. County of Riverside: Verdict of $7.8 million in a police misconduct case in which a Riverside Sheriff's deputy shot a man in the face causing severe brain injury and partial paralysis.

• Siehna Cotton et al. v. City of Eureka: Verdict of $4.57 million in a police misconduct civil rights case in which Eureka Police officers were involved in the beating and wrongful death of an unarmed man.
  

• Andre Chapman v. Florida Department of Corrections, et al.: Settlement of $4.5 million in a case involving the shower death of a schizophrenic inmate that led to sweeping reforms in the Florida prison system.
  

• J.M.M v. County of Los Angeles, et al.: Settlement of $4.25 million in a case involving the assault of a minor in a Los Angeles County juvenile detention facility.
  

• Beas v. County of Los Angeles, et al.:  Settlement of $2.8 million dollars obtained after the first pretrial conference. The case was featured in December 2006 by the Daily Joumal. The plaintiff suffered severe traumatic brain injury as a result of a beating by other inmates while housed in general population of the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail. Plaintiffs' contention was that Mr. Beas should have been segregated from general population based the nature of the charges. This case involved complex liability issues regarding the jail's classification and housing assignment process, failure to train and supervise, deliberate indifference, and governmental immunity.

• Hirschfield v. San Diego Unified Port District:  This case settled in late 2010 for $2.5 million dollars while motions for summary judgment were pending and after extensive litigation. This case involved the shooting death of an unarmed man during a struggle by boat patrol officers.

• Jacobo v. County of Los Angeles, et al.:  Settlement was reached for $750,000 in late March 2011, within days of the trial. This was a high profile shooting death of a young Latino man in Carson who was shot in the back multiple times while running away from the police.

• Blankenhorn v. City of Orange:  This case settled on remand from the Ninth Circuit following reversal of the grant of summary judgment. This case is widely cited for various principles, including excessive force, integral participation, and supervisory liability.

• Macias v. County of Los Angeles:  This case involves the reasonableness of a detention of a non-suspect during the execution of a valid search warrant.

• Davis v. Leroy Baca, et al.:  This case also involved segregation issues of inmates under the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. The plaintiff was seriously beaten by an inmate whom he had testified against in a preliminary hearing. The plaintiff and the perpetrator were placed in the same holding cell at the criminal courts building.

• Donovan Jackson & Coby Chavis v. City of Inglewood, et al.:  This police brutality case involved the unlawful beating of a sixteen-year old boy and his father by police officers in Inglewood, CA. The verdict also ruled that the officers had no reason to apprehend the subjects and used extreme excessive force during the arrest, which included slamming the youth's head against a car.

• Ayala v. City of South San Francisco:  This case involved wrongful death resulting from application of a carotid choke hold and positional asphyxia from the application of body weight by multiple officers.

• Carter v. County of Orange, et al.:  This was a jail beating case involving an inmate in the Orange County Jail, and was the only known verdict against then Sheriff Michael Carona as of that date.

Press

2020

CNN
Wrongful death suit filed over death of 'ER' actress Vanessa Marquez

LA Times
Mother of Vanessa Marquez files wrongful death lawsuit against South Pasadena, police

ABC 7
Vanessa Marquez death: Friends call for justice in shooting of actress by South Pasadena police

South Pasadenan
Vanessa Marquez | Wrongful Death Claim Filed Over South Pasadena Police Shooting of Actress

2019

NBC 4
$20 Million Claim Filed in Police Shooting Death of 'ER' Actress Vanessa Marquez

LA Times
Mother of Vanessa Marquez files claim against South Pasadena over actress’ shooting

Telemundo
Entablan millonaria demanda por muerte de actriz

Vicki Sarmiento named a '17 - '18 Top Attorney by Pasadena Magazine

Vicki Sarmiento speaks at Congressional Forum on Police Misconduct

$7.8 million awarded to man shot by Riverside County deputy

"A jury voted unanimously Wednesday to award about $7.8 million to a man shot in 2011 by a Riverside County sheriff's deputy."

Los Angeles Times
June 11, 2014

Florida OKs $4.5 million payout for brutal prison shower death of Darren Rainey

"The family of Darren Rainey, the 50-year-old schizophrenic inmate whose barbaric shower death led to sweeping reforms in the Florida prison system, has settled a civil rights lawsuit against the state of Florida and others for $4.5 million"

The Miami Herald
January 26, 2018

L.A. County approves $3.9-million settlement for minor assaulted in juvenile hall*

"The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $3.9-million settlement Tuesday in a federal civil rights lawsuit involving an assault on a minor at one of the county's juvenile halls.

"'The policymakers of the juvenile delinquency system have to train their staff that the foremost obligation is to protect the minors — and that this is a rehabilitative institution,' Sarmiento said. 'Instead, they're treating them like adult inmates if not worse.'"

* Settlement increased to $4.25 million

Los Angeles Times
September 19, 2017

Claims against Eureka are common, payments are not

"Vicki Sarmiento, a civil rights lawyer who's specialized in police abuse cases for 15 years, said it's still uncommon for claims to make it all the way to a trial. Many people who suffer abuse at the hands of police are indigent or minorities.

'It's a hard process,' she said. 'A lot of times they get shooed away from complaining.'  That means turning to an expensive attorney — out of the question for many homeless and poor victims."

The North Coast Journal
July 23, 2013

Over $4.5 Million Awarded By Jury in Wrongful Death Case Against Eureka Police

"Attorney Vicki Sarmiento hopes the verdict sends shockwaves to other officers who may consider committing such atrocities in the future. 'We don’t want this to happen to anyone else. We as a community, we as a society, cannot tolerate it.' Ms. Sarmiento speaks of the victory, 'The jury’s decision showed respect for Martin Cotton’s life. They acknowledge the wrong that occurred and acknowledge that Martin’s life had value. The issue of human dignity and humanity is what this is about, and that everyone has a right to have that.'"

People Project
Sept. 26, 2011

Six Flags Agrees to Settle Discrimination Suit

An anti-gang screening policy at theme park led to complaint. Company will pay $5.6 million.

"Six Flags Inc. will pay $5.6 million to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming that Magic Mountain's policy of screening suspected gang members discriminates against African Americans and Latinos."

Los Angeles Times
May 14, 2004

County to pay $2.8 million in inmate beating

"The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to pay $2.8 million to a former jail inmate who was severely beaten after other inmates learned he was an accused child molester -- the most the county has paid to resolve a lawsuit involving a jail attack."

Los Angeles Times
Dec. 20, 2006

Parents of Donovan Jackson, 16, reach agreement after suing Inglewood and L.A. County over 2002 incident aired on TV

"The parents of a black teenager whose beating by Inglewood police officers was videotaped and broadcast on television worldwide have agreed to a tentative settlement of their federal civil rights suit against the city and county."

Los Angeles Times
Mar. 8, 2005

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