A Morrison & Foerster pro bono team led by Arturo Gonzalez reached a $100,000 settlement on behalf of clients Carlos and Anna Herrera for the wrongful death of their son Lorenzo Herrera while he was in custody at Fresno County Jail.
In January 2018, Lorenzo was detained at the Fresno County Jail after not being able to post bail for his arrest. In March, while still awaiting a hearing for his charges, Lorenzo was found strangled in a cell after a lockdown was lifted.
The settlement, reached in October 2020, requires policy changes at Fresno County Jail for lockdowns and family access to deceased inmates. The jail is now required to have a written policy on implementing and lifting lockdowns in the jail and must document why the decisions for lockdowns are being made.
In addition to Arturo, the Morrison & Foerster team included associates Camila Tapernoux, David Wiener, Shaelyn Dawson, Melissa Perez, and Chan-young Yang.