Gay Crosthwait Grunfeld

Grunfeld has scored a number of victories for her firm, Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP, but those that affect her the most are the ones with the most impact. To her, that means keeping institutions charged with the care of individuals accountable.

That could mean senior citizens. Grunfeld represents the residents of Brookdale Senior Living facilities in California in a federal class action alleging the facilities’ understaffing and accessibility barriers violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. Eidler et al. v. Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. et al., 17-cv-03962 (N.D. Cal., filed July 13, 2017).

“This is an issue that affects all of us in the United States and California because we all have aging parents,” Grunfeld said. “In terms of impact, that’s a case I care deeply about.”

Grunfeld and her team overcame a motion to dismiss in January and are now in discovery.

Grunfeld has also spent time and resources negotiating with institutions of incarceration. She represents state prisoners and parolees with disabilities in litigation that has resulted in a series of precedent-setting orders, including rulings that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not permit state government agencies to avoid compliance by delegating responsibilities to local governments, and that prisoners cannot be held in solitary confinement solely on account of disability. Armstrong v. Brown, 103 F. Supp. 3d 1070 (N.D. Cal. 2015).

Grunfeld also earned a victory in a 30-year-old negotiation with Yuba County Jail. Last summer, the parties approved a 73-page amended consent decree which, among other provisions, places further limits on the amount of time an inmate can spend in a so-called “safety cell” and streamlines access to medical care.

At times it can seem like an endless struggle. The battle over conditions in Yuba County Jail has been waged for three decades and Grunfeld’s firm has lawsuits in two other counties over similar alleged conditions. But Grunfeld said it’s the mission itself that keeps her going.

“Helping people with situations that are so disturbing and difficult and knowing you can play a role in helping someone every single day when you go to work is such a privilege,” she said. “I don’t become despondent about the lengths of time it takes. I just keep trying.”

— Paula Lehman-Ewing