Callahan & Blaine

An investigation by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has concluded that the Newport Beach Police Department had no criminal culpability in the death of William Robert Wedgeworth, who hung himself in the Newport Beach City Jail last July.

According to a news report, Wedgeworth’s family had filed $34 million in claims against the city, alleging that Wedgeworth was wrongfully arrested and that the arrest resulted in his death.   The City rejected the family’s claims, and police department officials said they have not learned whether or not a lawsuit will be filed in the incident.

Newport Beach police were called to Wedgeworth’s home last July after his wife called to tell them he was experiencing a “manic” episode as a result of his bi-polar disorder.  The family claims that they requested police transport him to a psychiatric facility as they had done in the past, but that instead the police made the “reckless” decision to take him to jail.  Wedgeworth later hung himself in his jail cell, using bed sheets.

If you or a loved one is involved in an accident that causes death or serious injury, call Callahan & Blaine, California’s Premier Litigation Firm. We are one of the leading catastrophic injury firms in the state of California. In fact, in the last five years alone our lawyers have obtained over $1.2 billion in verdicts and settlements, including a record breaking $50 Million settlement against the City of Dana Point, which has been certified as the largest personal injury settlement in the history of the United States.  Callahan & Blaine has also recently obtained a $28 Million settlement for a driver who was hit by a runaway truck wheel on the freeway, a $7 million settlement for a bicyclist who was struck by a newspaper delivery truck, and a $7.25 million settlement for a man who was run over trying to board a city bus.

Our success in litigating and negotiating personal injury cases comes from our uncommon approach; we handle each personal injury case as though it were a complex business litigation case, attacking it from every angle possible. While our firm is located in Orange County, California, we handle serious personal injury, wrongful death and product liability cases nationwide.

If you or someone you know has suffered an injury or died due to negligence or an unsafe work environment, please contact our California law firm for expert legal counsel.