“SHERI S. MANUWAL AND ROBERT I. MANWUAL NAMED 2023 CONSUMER ATTORNEY OF THE YEAR FINALIST BY CONSUMER ATTORNEYS OF CALIFORNIA
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August 21, 2023
Consumer Attorney of the Year is awarded to a CAOC member or members who significantly advanced the rights or safety of California consumers by achieving a noteworthy result in a case.
The finalists for this award was selected by a committee consisting of members of CAOC’s Executive Committee; representatives of the attorney groups that won these awards in each of the last three years; and six randomly selected members of CAOC’s Board of Directors.
The finalists are listed below. Details of each case are in our release here.
CONSUMER ATTORNEY OF THE YEAR
David Rudorfer, Wyatt A. Vespermann, Sheri S. Manuwal
and Robert I. Manuwal
Jane Doev. Pasadena Unified School District
David Rudorfer, Wyatt A. Vespermann, Sheri S. Manuwal and Robert I. Manuwal Jane Doe v. Pasadena Unified School District JUSTICE FOR A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD WHO COULD NOT TESTIFY IN TRIAL Jane Doe was an 11-year-old special needs child who was emotionally disturbed and developmentally delayed. She had a terrible history of abuse since birth. By age 10, She had been transferred from more than a dozen group homes and had multiple hospitalizations for suicidal thoughts and psychotic delusions. She was at a Pasadena Unified School District school for special needs children when she was sexually assaulted by three students who dragged her behind a building and penetrated her digitally and with a large paper clip. The assault took place after a teacher’s assistant left the students unsupervised. The assault caused her to have a mental breakdown and ultimately placed in a mental institution, where she remained for years. She was the example of the most vulnerable and helpless in our society. The defense argued that her psychological harm was not caused by the assault but was pre-existing, and contended she was lying about the assault. To prove the assault, the attorneys focused on her mental state before versus after the event. Her therapist testified that she went from minor behavioral issues before the assault to major outbursts and overt sexual misconduct afterwards. As trial approached, it became clear that she was psychologically unable to testify about the incident or her harm. As a result, she was declared unavailable under the evidence code due to her psychological injuries. The court ordered that the jury was not allowed to be told why she was absent from trial, which was very challenging considering she had no family or friends to testify on her behalf. Despite these difficulties, after a three-week trial, the jury awarded her significant compensation, all in noneconomic damages. This case shows that negligence victims with psychological traumas who cannot withstand the pressures of trial can still get full justice.
“$26 Million Verdict for Special Education Student Sexually Assaulted by Classmates in Pasadena Unified School District”
August 24, 2022
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury has delivered a $26,000,000 verdict for a former Pasadena Unified School District special education student who was sexually assaulted at school by three of her male classmates. Plaintiff’s attorneys were David Rudorfer and Wyatt Vespermann of Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP, and Sheri S. Manuwal and Robert I. Manuwal of Manuwal & Manuwal. The verdict was rendered on Tuesday, August 23rd before the Honorable Patrick T. Madden in Department S28 at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach, California.
Plaintiff was an 11-year-old student in the special education program for emotionally disturbed children at Focus Point Academy during the 2015-2016 school year — a program staffed, funded and operated by the Pasadena Unified School District. On May 17, 2016, a teacher's aide was tasked with supervising Plaintiff but instead left her unsupervised with three male classmates who dragged her behind a building and sexually assaulted her.
Despite significant evidence supporting that the assault occurred, the Pasadena Unified School District denied the attack took place, denied the School District's negligence, and fought for more than five years to deny Plaintiff justice. As a result of the sexual assault, the Plaintiff eventually was institutionalized.
At trial, in addition to denying that the sexual assault had occurred, the defense argued that the Plaintiff suffered no damages as a result of the School District's conduct and that the jury should award her nothing. The jury disagreed and awarded the Plaintiff $12,500,000 for her past pain and suffering and $13,500,000 for her future pain and suffering.
"This verdict demonstrates that all children, regardless of their disabilities, deserve to be protected," said trial counsel David Rudorfer.
Defendant Pasadena Unified School District was represented in the matter and at trial by Nancy Doumanian of Doumanian & Associates.
Jane Doe v. Pasadena Unified School District
Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles,
Long Beach Case No. BC662842
Hon. Patrick T. Madden