UC Irvine law students Leon He, left, and Wesley Juels, right, helped journalist Benjamin Camacho, center, win disclosure of body camera footage and documents revealing that off-duty Santa Ana police officers who share gang-like tattoos were accused of harassing an underage girl at a restaurant. Photo by Susan E. Seager with direction from Benjamin Camacho.
The Press Freedom Project is a program of the UCI Intellectual Property, Arts, and Technology Clinic. The Project was founded in Spring 2018 to provide free legal services to California’s independent journalists, non-profit news organizations, journalism groups, and press advocacy groups. The Project is funded in large part by two grants from the Legal Clinic Fund for Local News.
The Project is headed by nationally known First Amendment and media law specialist Susan Seager, who was awarded the 2022 Los Angeles Press Club’s Guardian Award for Contributions to Press Freedom for her work at the Project.
If you are interested in seeking legal services from the Press Freedom Project, please visit our inquiry page (and scroll down for more information about our intake policy).
The Project provides a range of legal services, including:
- Pre-publication review and counseling on avoiding claims for defamation, privacy, etc.
- Filing and litigating requests for government documents under state and federal sunshine laws
- Filing motions to unseal court records in civil, criminal, and juvenile courts
- Filing civil rights lawsuits on behalf of journalists wrongfully arrested by police
- Filing motions to quash gag orders, subpoenas, search warrants targeting journalists
- Responding to cease-and-desist letters against journalists
The team has provided legal assistance to a variety of clients on an array of projects, including the following:
- Therolf v. Superior Court, 80 Cal. App. 5 th 308 (2022). Won California Court of Appeal decision ordering Madera County juvenile to reconsider independent journalist Garrett Therolf’s motion to unseal juvenile case file of girl who was tortured and murdered by adoptive mother in 2014. Appellate court ruled that juvenile court violated state law by denying Garrett’s motion without holding hearing or allowing Garrett to file reply brief. Clinic won companion appellate decision ordering reconsideration of Garrett’s motion to unseal juvenile case files for two siblings killed by biological parents.
- Camacho v. City of Santa Ana. Filed successful California Public Records Act lawsuit against City of Santa Ana. City immediately provided police body cam footage and other police records after being sued by clinic – before being ordered to do so by the court. Clinic client Benjamin Camacho, independent Los Angeles journalist, used disclosed records to write April 22, 2022 article for Knock LA revealing that group of Santa Ana police officers apparently formed police gang, complete with gang tattoos, and allegedly groped teenaged girl while off-duty at restaurant. Litigation is ongoing to obtain more records withheld by city.
- Knock LA v. County of Los Angeles. Filed successful California Public Records Act lawsuit against County of Los Angeles. County immediately provided records of fatal shootings by Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies and concealed weapons permits after being sued by clinic – before being ordered to do so by court. Clinic client Knock LA used disclosed records to publish an article about deputy who shot and killed two black men in separate shootings and remains on force without public punishment. Litigation is ongoing to obtain more records withheld by county.
- Human Rights Defense Center v. County of Los Angeles. Won settlement of California Public Records Act lawsuit against County of Los Angeles that requires County to provide thousands of pages of lawsuit settlement agreements for nearly 700 misconduct lawsuits against the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Clinic client Prison Legal News is posting the settlement records on its website.
- Unzueta v. County of Los Angeles. Won $90,000 settlement of civil rights lawsuit against County of Los Angeles and Sheriff Alex Villanueva for wrongful arrest, jailing, and strip-searching of photojournalist Pablo Unzueta by sheriff’s deputies on September 8, 2020. Deputies also wrongfully confiscating Pablo’s camera, cell phone, and camera memory card; latter was never returned.
- Peltz v. City of Los Angeles. Filed civil rights lawsuit against City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore for wrongful arrest of Knock LA editor Kate Gallagher and reporter Jonathan Peltz as they stood on sidewalk reporting about public protest and police eviction of homeless encampments from Echo Park Lake. Litigation is ongoing. Co-counsel with Pasadena civil rights law firm Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai.
- People v. Polanski. Won order by California Court of Appeal requiring Los Angeles Superior Court to unseal transcript of deposition testimony by former prosecutor in case against confessed child rapist and famed film director Roman Polanski that had been sealed for 12 years. Co-counsel with Los Angeles civil rights law firm Schonbrun DeSimone Seplow Harris & Hoffman.
- Won court order vacating gag order against T.J. Esposito, an independent Latino journalist in Bakersfield.
Please inquire!
If you are interested in learning more about the work of the Intellectual Property, Arts, and Technology Clinic, please visit our practice areas page and our testimonials page. You can also peruse our updates on our work with journalists. And if you are interested in seeking legal services from IPAT’s Press Freedom Project, please visit our inquiry page.