News
Board Overturns Teen’s Expulsion, Contra Costa Times
The Contra Costa County Board of Education has overturned the expulsion of a Deer Valley High School student who witnessed an after-school melee between students and police. Following a public hearing Wednesday, the board voted 3-1 to uphold the first of at least three appeals stemming from the March 7 incident at a service station a few blocks from the high school. Jivaka Candappa, the attorney who represented Ellis and two other students, including Housley, said the district's argument that Ellis posed a threat by running away was illogical. He had argued earlier that the school district's decision to expel was pre-determined.
+ Read MoreWoman Sues City After Mistaken Arrests, The Daily Californian
An Oakland woman mistakenly arrested seven times and who served six stints in jail filed a lawsuit against the city of Berkeley last week, claiming an array of civil rights violations over the past three years. Stancy Nesby, a 28-year-old mother of four, was arrested seven times in the past 15 months. Nesby's legal troubles began when a woman arrested on suspicion of cocaine possession in 2001 allegedly gave Nesby's name to authorities, prompting police to be on the lookout for Nesby instead of the true suspect, said her attorney, Jivaka Candappa.
+ Read MoreA Victim Who Keeps Getting Arrested — Tangled in a Case of Identity Theft / S.F. Warrants Ruled Bogus, But They Were Never Voided, San Francisco Chronicle
Lawsuits and newspaper stories aren't doing Stancy Nesby any good -- she keeps getting arrested. Nesby isn't America's Most Wanted or a career criminal. She's a victim herself, ensnared by the legal system in a case of identity theft. "I tried to show them the newspaper, but they would not look at it," Nesby said. "I was on the phone with my lawyer, and they told me to hang up. It was terrible. All those people on that block heard me screaming because they were twisting my arms." Her lawyer, Jivaka Candappa, said police had no business approaching Nesby in the first place and accused them of doing so only because she is African American. "This was total profiling," Candappa said.
+ Read MoreIdentity Theft Suit Alleges Bad Warrants, Mother, 28, Claims 5 Arrests After Police Conceded Mistake, San Francisco Chronicle
An Oakland woman was detained six times, arrested on five occasions and spent four stints in jail over the course of 15 months, all because San Francisco authorities failed to void warrants mistakenly issued for her arrest, according to a lawsuit she has filed against the city. "It's hard to believe it happened," said her attorney, Jivaka Candappa.
+ Read MoreTestimonials
Jivaka is my colleague to whom I refer the toughest of cases. Jivaka has that rare combination of eloquence, passion and grit that reminds me of why we went to law school. It's not just that he is a skilled orator and writer. He can work through a problem with the thoughtfulness and clarity of purpose that enables him to overcome obstacles and achieve terrific results when other lawyers would throw in the towel. He is intimidated by nothing. He handles the courtroom with a tactical sophistication and skill that makes me look forward to many other cases with him.
While working with Jivaka Candappa on several cases, I was deeply impressed by his commitment to staying true to his personal core values in his professional conduct: integrity, equality, and a passionate commitment to justice. His real-time competence and fine wit increase his effectiveness with opposing counsel, the bench and juries. If the situation were ever to warrant it, I would not hesitate to hire Jivaka to represent or defend my own interests.
