{"id":2368,"date":"2020-09-03T13:25:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-03T20:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-professor-wins-california-supreme-court-case\/"},"modified":"2024-07-29T13:34:41","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T20:34:41","slug":"olu-orange-wins-california-supreme-court-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/olu-orange-wins-california-supreme-court-ruling\/","title":{"rendered":"USC Dornsife professor wins California Supreme Court case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3304-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3304-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"USC Dornsife professor wins California Supreme Court case\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  The California Supreme Court recently struck down a 2018 appeal that reduced a family\u2019s damages from a 2014 civil case against the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department. (Image Source: iStock\/BCFC.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=alumni\">Alumni<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>USC Dornsife professor wins California Supreme Court case<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Civil rights lawyer Olu Orange of political science at USC Dornsife wins the reinstatement of an $8 million damages verdict to the family of a Black man killed by sheriff\u2019s deputies in circumstances similar to George Floyd. <strong>[6 min read]<\/strong>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Susan Bell<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">September 3, 2020<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>The family of Darren Burley, a Black man who died in 2012 after a Los Angeles County sheriff\u2019s deputy knelt on his neck and back, saw their original $8 million damages verdict reinstated by the California Supreme Court last month. The unanimous ruling comes thanks to the work of civil rights lawyer <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/faculty-and-staff\/faculty.cfm?pid=1008312\">Olu Orange<\/a>, director of the <a href=\"http:\/\/uscmocktrial.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Trial Advocacy Program<\/a> (Mock Trial) at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n<p>In the Aug. 10 ruling, the court struck down a 2018 appeal that had reduced the family\u2019s damages by $3.2 million.<\/p>\n<p>Justice Goodwin Liu compared Burley\u2019s death eight years ago with that of George Floyd, who died this year after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes, sparking worldwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism.<\/p>\n<p>In his opinion, Liu wrote, \u201cIn all likelihood, the only reason Darren Burley is not a household name is that his killing was not caught on videotape, as Floyd\u2019s was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Orange agrees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVideo-taped or not, these killings caused by police misconduct are wrong. Attention needs to be brought to them and they need to stop,\u201d says the adjunct assistant professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/poir\/\">political science<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/uscmocktrial.org\/interview-Fardghassemi.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yasmin Fardghassemi<\/a>, who earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science from USC Dornsife in 2010, aided Orange in winning the original civil case in 2014. She went on to earn a law degree at UCLA.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Death by asphyxiation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The incident that led to Burley\u2019s death occurred on Aug. 3, 2012, in the City of Compton, when L.A. County sheriff\u2019s deputies were called to the scene after Burley, 29, assaulted a pregnant prostitute.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"400px;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Olu-Orange-Trial-InStoryA-3304.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Olu Orange standing in front of a dark green hedge.\" width=\"400\" height=\"258\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Olu Orange. (Photo: Carlos Puma.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Burley, who was under the influence of a cocktail of drugs at the time, resisted arrest and was wrestled to the ground by several sheriff\u2019s deputies.<\/p>\n<p>According to the 2014 court account, three officers used a taser on Burley repeatedly, while others restrained him. One officer, David Aviles, using the same maneuver that resulted in Floyd\u2019s death, knelt on Burley\u2019s neck and back, asphyxiating him. Aviles weighed 200 pounds.<\/p>\n<p>Burley died and was revived at the scene, then died again 10 days later in hospital. Aviles has not been charged for his death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this incident, the police were rightfully called to intervene for the woman\u2019s safety,\u201d Orange said. \u201cThe issue here is that what they did in response was drastically and woefully excessive, and they killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Courtroom drama<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While the defense in 2014 claimed that Burley died as a result of a chemical reaction to the drugs he had taken, Orange and his team argued that the cause of Burley\u2019s death was asphyxiation.<\/p>\n<p>Orange recalls a dramatic reenactment at that original trial where the defense attorney for the sheriff\u2019s department asked the deputies to demonstrate how they had restrained Burley.<\/p>\n<p>As the defense attorney, playing Burley, lay on the court room floor, six deputies piled on top of him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Deputy Aviles came over and positioned himself with one of his knees at the base of the defense attorney\u2019s neck and the other knee on his back, right above where his diaphragm would be,\u201d Orange said. \u201cWithin a few seconds, the defense attorney\u2019s face started turning red; it looked like it was hard for him to breathe.\u201d The judge, concerned for the attorney\u2019s well-being, then intervened to end the demonstration.<\/p>\n<p>Orange recounts another key moment in the trial when the defense called a sheriff\u2019s department investigator who had not seen the reenactment. \u201cWe asked him, \u2018Is restraining someone by putting your knee at the base of their neck a departmentally sanctioned tactic?\u2019 He said, \u2018Oh no, absolutely not. That would be excessive force.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>A phenomenal experience<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To bolster their argument that Burley did not die from asphyxiation, the defense called an expert to testify. When Orange had a scheduling conflict, he asked Fardghassemi to cross-examine the asphyxiation expert on his behalf.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"350px;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Olu-Orange-Fardghassemi-InStoryB-3304.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of Yasmin Fardghassemi standing arms crossed in front of a multi-colored background.\" width=\"350\" height=\"544\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yasmin Fardghassemi. (Photo: Courtesy of USC Trial Advocacy Program.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe argued that cutting off the oxygen stopped Burley\u2019s heart and brain and he died. The defense claimed that his heart stopped because he went into arrhythmia due to consequences of the intoxication,\u201d Orange said. \u201cSo, it was crucial for Yasmin to be able to shoot down the testimony of their asphyxiation expert.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fardghassemi, who had been a leading participant in Orange\u2019s Mock Trial program, leapt at the chance. She had been a daily assistant to Orange during the 41-day trial and knew the evidence thoroughly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew that I would learn a tremendous amount about trial preparation, witness preparation and evidentiary arguments,\u201d she said. \u201cProfessor Orange reassured me that he has faith in me and that I would be able to do a good job.\u201d Nevertheless, she was aware of how much was riding on her performance in court.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to cross-examining the expert witness, Fardghassemi thoroughly researched his prior testimony.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe found instances of testimony where he conceded and even supported the idea that applying weight in certain places causes asphyxiation,\u201d Orange said. \u201cI had absolutely no doubt that she would be magnificent in court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fardghassemi credits her Mock Trial training for her success in cross-examining the expert \u2014 an experience she describes as \u201cphenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be able to do these trials takes years of experience, but because of Mock Trial, I had this confidence and ease \u2014 I knew what to do in a courtroom. That\u2019s something that comes with practice, and Mock Trial allows you to hone the necessary skills by practicing these types of cross-examinations over and over again. If you want to be a litigator, Mock Trial is all you need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Success, a set-back and a final decision<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The jury in 2014 awarded Burley\u2019s estranged wife and children an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-ln-jury-award-20141231-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$8 million damages verdict<\/a> for loss of companionship, guidance, love and affection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe felt that was a great verdict for the family,\u201d Fardghassemi says. \u201cIt was a just verdict. It was the right verdict and we were all very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, in 2018, the L.A. County Sheriff\u2019s Department appealed this ruling successfully, arguing that because the original jury had found that Burley was 40 percent negligent for his own death, the family\u2019s intentional battery verdict should be proportionally reduced, leading to a $3.2 million cut in the payout.<\/p>\n<p>That decision was struck down by the California Supreme Court in its ruling last month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most effective check on police oppression and unlawful behavior is accountability,\u201d Orange said of the ruling. \u201cWith this decision, the California Supreme Court has made it clear that police officers who engage in intentional, unlawful conduct must be held 100% responsible for the harm that they cause.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for Fardghassemi, who is now an L.A. deputy district attorney, she has chosen to become a mentor in USC Dornsife\u2019s Mock Trial program, which she credits for her blossoming legal career as a public prosecutor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody from the program has become so successful \u2014 graduates of the program tend to go to very good law schools \u2014 and we\u2019re all now in different areas of the law,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Above all, she expresses gratitude to Orange for his guidance and support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be where I am today without Professor Orange. He really instills in you the principles of ethical, compassionate lawyering. He\u2019s changed the trajectory of all of our careers and we\u2019re really blessed to have him in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Civil rights lawyer Olu Orange of political science at USC Dornsife wins the reinstatement of an $8 million damages verdict to the family of a Black man killed by sheriff\u2019s deputies in circumstances similar to George Floyd. <strong>[6 min read]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[143,201,108],"class_list":["post-2368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-faculty","tag-law","tag-political-science"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>USC Dornsife professor wins California Supreme Court case<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/olu-orange-wins-california-supreme-court-ruling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USC Dornsife professor wins California Supreme Court case\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Civil rights lawyer Olu Orange of political science at USC Dornsife wins the reinstatement of an $8 million damages verdict to the family of a Black man killed by sheriff\u2019s deputies in circumstances similar to George Floyd. 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