Eric M. George

George, a founding partner, represents clients in complex and frequently high-profile disputes. He is a former counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and was a deputy legal affairs secretary to former Gov. Pete Wilson, whom George has since added to the firm’s roster as of counsel. In 2020 the firm expanded its name to include partners Thomas P. O’Brien, Maribeth Annaguey and Dennis S. Ellis.

Like many, he sat out the pandemic at home in L.A. and sometimes at an alternative refuge near Sequoia National Park. “That was a rare upside in a difficult year,” he said.

In February, a lawyer-versus-lawyer case pitted George’s prosecutor union clients against District Attorney George Gascón. George won a preliminary injunction against Gascón’s attempt to require his deputies, as part of a blanket policy, to dismiss sentencing enhancements that led to longer prison terms. Association of Deputy District Attorneys v. Gascón, 20STCP04259 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Dec. 30, 2020).

In May Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant put further proceedings in the case on hold pending Gascón’s appeal.

The suit represents the tension between Gascón, who was elected in November 2020 on a reformist platform that denounced excessive sentences, and deputies plus victim rights advocates who protest that Gascón unlawfully seeks to limit prosecutorial discretion.

“He’s gone totally far afield from his mandatory state obligations,” George said. “There’s an appeal pending now that will address the lawfulness of his decisions.”

In a related appeal over a Los Angeles judge’s refusal to let Gascón withdraw sentencing enhancements filed against a criminal defendant by Gascón’s predecessor, George said he will file a friend of the court brief supporting the judge’s ruling.

“Although we believe we have modified Mr. Gascón’s behavior, we are remaining vigilant to ensure he’s in compliance with the injunction,” George said. “The Court of Appeal is our next stop.”

Separately, George represents apartment landlords suing Santa Monica over a municipal ordinance limiting short-term rentals. NMS 1539 LLC v. City of Santa Monica, 2:20-cv-11318 (C.D. Cal., filed Dec. 14, 2020).

“People can’t rent their property for less than a year, and the property must be rented unfurnished,” George said of the ordinance. “The goal was to stick a finger in the eye of property owners, and we believe it is unconstitutional.”

- John Roemer