Ninth Circuit Refuses To Block Deposition Of Los Angeles County Undersheriff Tanaka

An emergency panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has declined to enter a protective order preventing plaintiff Michael Holguin from taking the deposition of Los Angeles County Undersheriff Paul K. Tanaka. Michael Holguin is represented by the law firm of Hadsell Stormer Richardson & Renick, LLP, in an action seeking damages for injuries he sustained when held as a detainee in the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. The County had attempted to block the deposition of Undersheriff Tanaka. Plaintiff Holguin alleges that he was beaten by deputies while handcuffed and that the County of Los Angeles has engaged in a pattern and practice of deputies using excessive force against inmates. The action is pending in Federal District Court and set for trial in February 2012. The case is entitled Holguin v. County of Los Angeles, Case No. CV 10-8011-GW(PLAx).