Supreme Court Reversal of Death Penalty Case
On July 30, 2020, a partner in the firm, Martin H. Dodd, obtained a rare, unanimous reversal of a murder conviction and death sentence for a condemned California state prison inmate. In 1997, Paul Nathan Henderson was arrested and charged with felony murder arising from the death by heart attack of a victim of a home invasion robbery in Riverside County. Following the arrest, police officers interrogated Mr. Henderson, and ignored his request to have counsel represent him before questioning continued. Eventually, Mr. Henderson made incriminating statements that were introduced into evidence at trial over objection by his trial counsel. The statements were the primary, and most incriminating, evidence against him. In 2001, jury returned a guilty verdict and imposed a sentence of death. In 2006, Mr. Dodd was appointed by the California supreme court to represent Mr. Henderson on direct appeal from the judgment. By a 7-0 decision, the supreme court held the interrogating officers had violated Mr. Henderson’s right, guaranteed by Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436 and Edwards v. Arizona (1981) 451 U.S. 477, to be afforded counsel upon request before further questioning and that his statements should have been excluded from evidence at trial. Because the statements were prejudicial, the court reversed both the judgment of first degree murder and the death sentence. See People v. Henderson (2020) 9 Cal. 5th 1013.
Four Attorneys Named to the Super Lawyers Northern California for 2011
The following attorneys have been named by the Northern California Super Lawyers magazine as among the top attorneys in Northern California for 2011. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by Super Lawyers, which awards the distinction based on peer nominations and independent research.
In addition, the following attorneys were named as a Northern California Rising Star, 2011, which recognizes the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state -- those who are 40 years old or younger, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less.
