Mintz Settlement Sparks San Diego Police Department Policy Change
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pro bono portfolio
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2022
Mintz Member Randy Jones was featured in
The American Lawyer's "Litigator of the Week" for his work on this case.
View the 2021 Pro Bono Journal
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View the 2020 Pro Bono Journal
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© 2022 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. P.C.
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Mintz, along with the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties, the Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance, and Brody McBride Law, helped Griffin-Jones file a lawsuit in January 2021. The complaint argued that the lengthy seizure of her phone not only violated her Fourth Amendment rights, which protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures, but also prevented her — and others — from effectively organizing and participating in protests out of fear that their phones would also be seized without cause.
This decision to confiscate and withhold Griffin-Jones’s cellphone was particularly disturbing given the importance of these devices to the ongoing movements, and because it carried personal and private information, it should have been protected from unlawful search.
In September 2020, while participating in a Black Lives Matter protest, Christina Griffin-Jones was arrested and jailed. At the time of her arrest, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) seized her cellphone without a warrant, and upon her release, failed to return it for more than two months. When it was finally returned, it was broken.
The use of cellphones during these protests, and many others, has played a critical role in their effectiveness over the past decade. The real-time footage captured provides an opportunity to share realities that national and global audiences might otherwise never witness — aligning and empowering more people to take part in the movement.
In the months after the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor murders, millions of people across the country took to the streets to protest racist policies and police brutality. The outpouring of pain and passion for change made their efforts one of the largest social movements in recent history.
Branden Sigua, staff attorney with the Community Advocates for Just & Moral Governanc e, said the settlement was designed to help protect people’s privacy while they exercise their right to demonstrate in San Diego. Attorney Randy Jones, who led the work for Mintz along with former attorney Audrey Nguyen, noted that the agreement will have a lasting impact.
The lawsuit was settled on July 13, 2022. As part of the settlement, the City of San Diego agreed to a new policy requiring officers to either obtain a warrant to hold or search any phone they seize, or to return the phone within a reasonable amount of time.
Mintz Client Christina Griffin-Jones
Member
Randy Jones
This is not only a great result for Christina, but it is a step in the right direction to having a fair and just policy protecting people’s personal property. Right is right. And that’s been our motivation with this case, and every single social justice case that
we take on. Mintz will do any part we can
to use our skills as lawyers to make an
impact on the community, and we’ll
keep fighting to make lasting change.
This work originated from Mintz’s San Diego Office Addressing Racial Inequality Group formed in June 2020 following the death of George Floyd with the clear objective of using our legal skills and training to help end systemic racism and police brutality.
Community Advocates for Just & Moral Governance
Randy Jones
© 2022 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
All Rights Reserved.
View the 2021 Pro Bono Journal
Transcending
Share to Social:
Collaborating to Improve Lives and Communities
Pro bono service is at the heart of Mintz's culture and identity. Together, we provide individuals with life-changing assistance and support the nonprofit organizations that care for our communities.
Learn More
By staffing our community legal clinics, Mintz volunteers have added much-needed capacity to Asian Outreach and helped bring critical relief to community members seeking legal help.
Member
Randy Jones
Guardianship Keeps Boy with Family Friend
