There is a reason why the EMANUEL LAW GROUP gets frequent referrals from former clients, police officers, medical doctors, paramedics, nurses, and members of the legal community. The following is a sample list of our case results that are not subject to Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).
City of San Mateo Reaches $25M Settlement With Three Women Sexually Assaulted By a Uniformed San Mateo Police Officer
Lawsuit made possible because of California Assembly Bill 1455
March 18, 2024 – SAN MATEO, Calif. – Emanuel Law Group (ELG), the law firm responsible for initiating California Assembly Bill 1455 (AB 1455) to expand the statute of limitations for victims of sexual assault by police officers, has successfully put the new law to the test with a $25 million settlement on behalf of three women who would have been ineligible to sue without the passage of the bill.
In 2019, former San Mateo Police Department (SMPD) officer Noah Winchester was convicted and later sentenced to 81 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting four women – three of whom were part of this lawsuit – while on duty, in full police uniform, armed, and on patrol in a SMPD vehicle.
Shortly after achieving passage of the new law, ELG attorneys Todd Emanuel and Pamela Glazner filed the suit against the City of San Mateo and Winchester in connection with the rape and sexual assaults committed by the former officer.
The evidence showed that SMPD ignored a myriad of red flags when making the dangerous decision to hire Winchester. SMPD neglected to access two police reports identifying Winchester as a suspect of sexual assaults while he was on duty as a Los Rios Police Department officer. A competent, routine background investigation of Winchester’s prior employment easily would have uncovered this disqualifying information.
“It is astonishing that the hiring team at the San Mateo Police Department issued this predator a badge and a gun, putting the safety and security of the entire community at risk. Officer Winchester’s shameful, checkered past should have immediately disqualified him from employment with the SMPD. SMPD’s gross negligence has caused a lifetime of trauma for these women, and possibly others,” said Todd Emanuel, founding partner of ELG and the attorney representing the three women in the lawsuit.
The SMPD Police Chief and hiring team also knew that Officer Winchester had been convicted of a crime he committed while on duty as a uniformed Sacramento Police Department officer, which should have automatically disqualified him from SMPD’s consideration.
“The sad truth is that these victims would not have been egregiously sexually violated had the San Mateo Police Department simply followed its own hiring policies in the first place,” said Emanuel.
The lawsuit would not have been possible before the passage of AB 1455 in 2022, which extends the statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse by law enforcement from two years to 10 years. Attorney Pamela Glazner of ELG assisted in drafting the bill, which was presented by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Berkeley) and codified as California Government Code section 945.9.
Inspector Bill Massey of the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office obtained critical evidence which Deputy District Attorney Alpana Samant used to obtain felony convictions and a lengthy sentence for Winchester.
ELG has other significant civil rights cases pending, including yet another sexual assault by Winchester when he was uniformed Los Rios Department Officer in Sacramento County, avoidable jail inmate rapes in Solano County, a preventable jail suicide in Santa Clara County, and a wrongful death arising out of an unnecessary police shooting by Madera Police Department officers.
“Our firm continues to defeat powerful government entities, big corporations, and high net worth perpetrators who violate the personal integrity and civil rights of individual victims,” added Emanuel.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Yellow Cab
$8,000,000 jury verdict for an injured attorney who sustained left-sided hemi-paresis and a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Yellow Cab claimed it was not responsible because its driver was an independent contractor and our client failed to wear a seat belt.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Jade Bowdoin
$8,000,000 Solano County wrongful death judgment against drunk driver who killed our client’s son.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Al-Hashmi
$5.8 Million Judgment for survivor of childhood sex abuse, domestic violence, gender violence, and false imprisonment.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Doe Defendants
$6,250,000 for a competitive cyclist who sustained Traumatic Brain Injury after being struck by an SUV.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Perpetrator
Sacramento County Jury Verdict for rape victim whose perpetrator was never criminally prosecuted.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Andy Mar
$415,000 settlement for client for civil rights violation suffered after a sheriff’s deputy pointed a gun at our client without justification.
Emanuel Law Group Clients vs. Massage and Day Spas
Over $4,000,000 recovered for victims sexually assaulted during massages.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Brothers Towing & Transport
$3,485,000 for a family severely injured in a motor vehicle collision in Monterey.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Venture Capital Co. Defendant
$6,000,000 for a Silicon Valley business executive whose earning capacity was diminished as a result of a spinal cord injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Doe Defendant
$2,500,000 Judgment for survivor of bicyclist whose wrongful death was caused by a motorcyclist.
Emanuel Law Group Clients v. Perpetrators of Domestic Violence
Over $1,000,000 in jury verdicts and settlements for San Mateo County survivors of domestic violence who were sexually assaulted, battered, and/or involuntarily drugged, by their spouses.
EMANUEL LAW GROUP CLIENT v. MACLEOD
$5,500,000 for motorcyclist who suffered Post-Concussion Syndrome and orthopedic injuries after being struck by a motor vehicle on his way to work.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Curry Roots, Inc., B2B Trade Use Company, Inc., et al.
$4,500,000 for the wrongful death of a child, killed by a motorist in Oakridge Shopping Mall in San Jose parking lot in view of the victim’s family.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Gregory Dougald
$1,150,000.00 victim restitution ordered at child molester’s criminal sentencing hearing.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Courtney
$1,000,000 for a teen-aged girl who was sexually abused by a distant relative.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Doe Defendant
$2,600,000 for couple struck in Palo Alto crosswalk.
Emanuel Law Group Client vs. Helm
$2,500,000 recovery for the family of the victim killed by a drunk driver.
Emanuel Law Group v. Estate of Richard Lane
$1,075,000 judgment for victim diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after being shot by armed perpetrator.
Emanuel Law Group Clients v. St. Matthews Episcopal Day School
Over $1 million recovered for students whose privacy was violated by a teacher who took inappropriate photographs without parental consent.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Santillan
Policy limits settlement for an on-duty police officer struck by a bus.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Nanis
$4,000,000 recovery for a pedestrian catastrophically injured by a reckless motorist. Because the defendant was underinsured, we secured the settlement by a deed of trust to the defendant’s expensive home, and a promissory note.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Auyong
$2,500,000 wrongful death recovery arising out of fatal collision in Hillsborough.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. St. Dorothy’s Rest Assoc., et al.
Confidential recovery for single mother of triplets who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury as a result of a dangerous condition on the defendant’s property.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Air Unique
Policy limits recovery for the daughter and widow of a Tesla Motor executive who was killed in a plane crash.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Wahl
$1,750,000 recovery for a pedestrian who suffered a traumatic brain injury and a broken femur.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Shaw Pipeline
$1,125,000 for a foreman injured on a construction site as a result of the negligent operation of a back hoe.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. JD Jetting
$1,000,000 for a motorist who was severely injured by a defective carburetor jet kit that contained improper parts.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. CSAA
$1,000,000 uninsured motorist arbitration award for our client who sustained a spinal cord injury.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Laura’s Beauty Care
$300,000 for our client who contracted a staph infection from a pedicure spa.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Dr. John Doe
Confidential settlement for our client whose physician negligently injected Botox inside our client’s mouth, causing physical and emotional injuries.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Green Hills Country Club
$800,000 wrongful death recovery for the surviving family members of an elderly woman accidentally killed due to the negligence of a restaurant employee.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Farmers Ins. Co.
$863,277 uninsured motorist arbitration award for policyholder who suffered head injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Virginia Cleaners
$700,000 for musician sexually assaulted by a tailor while having a dress fitted for a performance.
Emanuel Law Group Client v. Athidhi Indian Cuisine
$1,000,000 for a 15-year-old honors student who sustained severe facial burns when an employee of a catering company dropped a chafing dish on the floor and liquid Sterno splashed on to her face.
DISCLAIMER: The case results described in this website were dependent on the facts and circumstances of each of the cases. Your results will differ if based on different facts and circumstances.