Sacramento, CA, October 1, 2021 – Today, the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, ruled that a former member of the California Assembly cannot sue the woman who accused him of sexual assault. In holding that the fair report privilege applies in the case of Dababneh v. Lopez, the court’s ruling protects survivors who […]
LVBH prevails in writ proceeding on behalf of sexual assault victim
Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams and Ehlert Hicks recently secured a rare win in a writ proceeding before the California Court of Appeal. The underlying case — Dr. Meena Zareh v. County of Los Angeles, University of Southern California, et al., is pending in Los Angeles Superior Court. The writ petition challenged a protective order entered […]
LVBH Teams Up With National Women’s Law Center to Fight Sexual Harassment and Assault
Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP, along with the National Women’s Law Center, a renowned women’s rights organization, represents three women workers at a cable industry manufacturing plant in San Diego in their claims for sexual harassment, including one woman who was sexually assaulted. The plaintiffs are women of color who worked as cable assemblers for […]
LVBH and Equal Rights Advocates settle with Sacramento Unified School District
Sacramento City Unified School District settled a high-profile sexual assault lawsuit, agreeing to district-wide policy improvements and to pay $400,000 to former student Virginia,* after school official forced Virginia to leave school for the rest of the semester upon discovering she was raped by two schoolmates at an off-campus party in 2016. The lawsuit, filed […]
With Funding from TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, Pamela Lopez Challenges Defamation Lawsuit by Accused Former Assemblyman
October 25, 2018, Sacramento, CA – Today, Pamela Lopez filed an anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss in Sacramento County. The motion is in response to a defamation lawsuit by former state Assemblyman Matt Dababneh. Lopez is represented by Jean Hyams of the Bay Area workers’ rights law firm, Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP. The motion argues […]
Sexual Assault and Harassment Victims Represented by LVBH Name California Legislator as Perpetrator
DECEMBER 4, 2017, 11:00 AM. SACRAMENTO, CA. Pamela Lopez, a Sacramento lobbyist, filed a report today with the California Assembly Rules Committee formally naming Assembly Member Matt Dababneh as the legislator she reported had masturbated in front of her after he followed her into a bathroom at a Las Vegas party venue where most of […]
Jean Hyams Interviewed on NPR’s Weekend Edition: Legal Recourse for Victims of Sexual Harassment
On Saturday, December 2, 2017, Jean Hyams was interviewed by Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition, regarding “Legal Recourse for Victims of Sexual Harassment.” Responding to questions from Mr. Simon about the difficulties women face in reporting workplace sexual harassment, Jean provided clear advice for women. Jean went on to urge women to come […]
The Rules of Evidence Prevent Victim Blaming in Sexual Harassment Cases
For many years, victims of workplace sexual harassment cases were assaulted twice – one when they were victimized at work, and a second time when they went to court and the harasser used evidence of their unrelated sexual conduct to impugn their character. Fortunately, this is no longer the case, as there are both state […]
