The following summaries are of recent published decisions of the California appellate courts, the Ninth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. The summaries are presented without regard to whether Severson & Werson represented a party in the case.
Malefactors unrelated to Uber obtained Uber stickers from its website and placed them on their cars. Then they picked up women who thought the men were Uber drivers. This decision holds that Uber is not liable for the fake drivers' rape of the women. Uber didn't have a special relationship with the women that imposed any duty on it to… Read More
Because the University of Southern California’s disciplinary procedures did not adequately allow for the accused student to cross-examine victim in a rape case, it denied fundamental fairness, and a subsequent disciplinary decision had to be overturned. Read More
USC denied an accused student due process in disciplinary proceedings since the decision maker did not observe the complaining witness in person (or by video hookup) to assess her credibility. Read More
A university owes its students a duty of care to protect them against foreseeable harm while engaged in activities related to the university’s delivery of educational services. Read More
Student accused of sexual assault was denied basic due process by university disciplinary board by withholding evidence of antidepressant drugs being taken by the victim until the last minute and barring accused student’s attorney from participating in the proceedings while allowing university’s own counsel to act in a prosecutorial role. Read More
Substantial evidence supported finding by the university that a student had cheated on a biology exam, and since this determination was moreover made by a fair procedure, the trial court incorrectly granted the student’s administrative mandamus petition. Read More
