Firefighter v. City (2026) – Convinced an administrative law judge and the city manager to uphold the 30-day suspension of a Fire Captain based on ten instances of misconduct, including discourteous and offensive conduct toward the public and failures of supervisory authority.
Police Officer v. City (2025) – Convinced an arbitrator to uphold the termination of a peace officer who failed to respond to two calls for service, removed the ballistic panel from his vest, and was dishonest about it.
Lifeguard v. County (2025) – A lifeguard was terminated for engaging in sexual misconduct while on-duty once. He had no prior record of discipline, but LCW succeeded in having his termination upheld by both the Commission and the superior court.
Probationary Firefighter v. County (2024) – A probationary firefighter appealed his discharge, contending it was discriminatory. On the third day of arbitration, after hearing testimony that was unfavorable to him, he decided to withdraw his appeal.
Police Officer v. City (2024) – A police officer was terminated for dishonesty and misusing CLETS to obtain confidential information for personal reasons. The police officer appealed his termination but the City Council upheld the decision. The officer then filed a Petition for Writ of Mandate, but the superior court found the City Council acted within its discretion to terminate the officer because his lie and misuse of confidential information harmed the Department and placed its access to CLETS at risk.
Police Officer v. City (2024) – A police officer was terminated for insubordination after failing to appear for interrogation regarding alleged workers’ compensation fraud. Senior Counsel Atkinson argued that the officer’s refusal to comply with lawful orders undermined the department’s ability to investigate misconduct and that termination was warranted. The civil service commission agreed and upheld the termination.
Police Officer v. City (2022) – The City prevailed in a sergeant’s appeal of his termination for off-duty misconduct. While the sergeant was at a bar and intoxicated, he struck a subordinate officer in the genitals and choked him. Although the sergeant had no previous record of discipline and was well-regarded in the police department, the hearing officer upheld his termination given the severity of his misconduct.
