Shehnaz Bhujwala

Woodland Hills • Complex Civil Litigation

Shehnaz Bhujwala, a partner at Boucher LLP with a focus on complex civil litigation, is a distinguished figure in her field, renowned for her work in holding powerful institutions accountable for long-standing misconduct. Her major cases and active involvement in professional associations demonstrate her dedication to advocating for justice and the rights of her clients.

One of the significant cases led by Bhujwala is a certified class action in which homeowners in Northeast Fresno sought justice after the city of Fresno's corrosive water destroyed their galvanized plumbing, causing harmful metal contaminants to leach into the water supply. Micheli, et al. v. The City of Fresno, 16CECG02937 (Fresno Sup. Ct., filed Sept. 9, 2016).

The city of Fresno failed to promptly address the issue, and for over a decade, they did not report water quality complaints to state regulators.

In 2016, the city admitted fault but failed to assist homeowners in replacing their corroded plumbing. Bhujwala and her team filed a lawsuit in 2016, which was certified as a class action in 2021. This case is now before the Fifth District Court of Appeal and has the potential to set a precedent in consumer actions involving public entity violations of the California Safe Drinking Water Act.

Bhujwala noted that In the legal field, a notable trend is the ongoing examination of public entity liability.

"The issue of public entity liability continues to be examined by California courts, whether in the area of water law as more sources of contamination are identified, or in the area of sexual abuse, as more survivors are ready to tell their story and pursue justice," she said. "In terms of water law, the circumstances under which California consumers may enforce their constitutional right to safe drinking water and hold public water systems to account for violations of the California Safe Drinking Water Act and its implementing regulations will likely be before more courts in the future."

She was also entrusted with a major role in the case against Dr. George Tyndall, who was accused by 710 women of sexual assault.

"Recently, I also served as chair of the discovery working group for plaintiffs ... involving related, individual lawsuits arising from a university's persistent failure to protect female students from sexual assaults by a campus gynecologist over many years, supporting the efforts of plaintiffs' co-liaisons to bring about a record $852 million global settlement for hundreds of plaintiffs," Bhujwala said.