Board of Directors
R. Samuel Paz - Vice President
Samuel Paz is a native of Los Angeles. Since 1974, he has
practiced law for the Los Angeles community, specializing in litigation
of civil rights claims and selected criminal defense cases. He
has earned numerous victories in cases involving injuries or death
caused by excessive use of force and police misconduct. In
1993, Paz secured an $8.9 million verdict against an L.A.P.D. officer
in a case arising out of the shooting of a L.A. Coliseum grounds
keeper.
Recently decided cases on which Paz worked include Taylor v.
City of Los Angeles and Diaz v. Orange County Sheriff’s
Department. In Taylor, the plaintiff received
a $2.6 million award for the shooting death of an African-American
man who LAPD claimed pointed a shotgun at police officers. In Diaz,
the court awarded $1.55 million for the death of an emotionally
depressed twenty-three year old African American who was shot and
killed while hiding in a closet holding a knife after his mother
called mental health for assistance.
Paz’s pending cases include Chavez v. Martinez, 538
U.S. 760 (2003), involving a shooting which left plaintiff Martinez
blind and paralyzed. On remand in Martinez v. City of Oxnard, 337
F.3d 1091 (9th Cir. 2003), the appellate court held that the police
officer’s coercive interrogation of Martinez violated his constitutional
rights. Another pending case, Leon v. San Diego Sheriff’s
Department, 115 F. Supp. 2d 1197 (S.D. Cal 2000), involves a
wrongful death suit arising out of the death by infection of an inmate
while in custody of jail deputies. The deputies involved in
the case refused to provide medical assistance to the decedent.
A recipient of many honors and commendations, most recently Paz
was honored by the ACLU as the 2003 Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate and
the University of Southern California Law School as the 2002 Inspirational
Alumnus. Paz has lectured in Europe and Israel on human
rights, and was selected as an American Partner by the Hungarian
Helsinki Committee. He has published over thirty articles.
In 1971, Paz graduated with honors from UCLA. He received
a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California
Law School in 1974.
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