Career
Burris's work in police brutality cases began in 1979 when he was an investigator in the district attorney's office working on the case of the killing of 15-year-old Melvin Black. [17] [18] Burris's book, Blue vs. Black (1999), is about police brutality against African-Americans. [19]
Burris "has earned millions of dollars" in filing hundreds of police brutality and high-profile lawsuits, including a $3.8 million verdict for Rodney King and a $42,000 settlement in a suit brought on behalf of Tupac Shakur. [4]
Melvin Black
On March 17, 1979, an African American teenager named Melvin Black was killed by the Oakland Police Department in Oakland, California. [18] [20] [21] The community was outraged, and Mayor Lionel Wilson and the city council appointed Burris to conduct an independent investigation on March 30th. [18] After a five month investigation, it was discovered that the physical evidence did not match the officers’ statements. [18]
Rodney King civil trial
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Burris's practice grew notably when he represented Rodney King in his civil rights lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department and won $3.8 million against the LAPD.
Oakland Riders Case
Burris has represented plaintiffs in a number of high-profile lawsuits against police departments across the state of California including the "Oakland Riders" case which settled for $10.9 million where a gang of Oakland officers were found to be planting evidence on citizens, which caused the federal government to investigate and oversee the Oakland Police Department to this day. [4]
Oscar Grant Case
John Burris also represented Oscar Grant's mother in her lawsuit against BART Police which settled for $1.3 million, where Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Mehserle infamously shot 22-year-old in the back while he was handcuffed on the Fruitvale BART train platform in Oakland, California on New Year's Day in 2009. [7] The facts of the case were later depicted in the movie "Fruitvale Station" starring Michael B. Jordan, which won multiple film awards. [8]
Barry Bonds
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John Burris represented Barry Bonds. [13]
Mario Woods
Burris represented Mario Woods' mother in her case against the San Francisco Police Department where a group of officers were captured on video shooting her son, Mario Woods, on December 2, 2015, that caused large protests throughout the Bay Area and ultimately resulted in the resignation of the SFPD Chief of Police Greg Suhr. [9]
Celeste Guap
Recently, John Burris represented Celeste Guap (also known as Jasmine Abuslin) in her cases against Northern California Police Departments for a number of officers exploiting and sexually assaulting her when she was underage. [5] Mr. Burris won a $989,000 settlement for Ms. Guap against the Oakland Police Department whose officers also face criminal charges for their sexual misconduct with a minor. [5]
Brandon T.
In 1996, Burris defended pro bono Brandon T., a six-year-old Richmond, California boy accused of and prosecuted for attempted murder of an infant, in a crime that made national news. [22] [23]
Agustin Gonsalez
In March 2021, Burris and his associate Ben Nisenbaum announced a $3.3 million settlement of a lawsuit against the city of Hayward, California. Burris represented the family of Agustin Gonsalez, who was shot to death by two Hayward police officers in 2018. The officers were responding to a call reporting that a man was threatening people with a knife. The officers killed Gonzalez, and then discovered that he was carrying a small safety razor. He had 14 bullet wounds. Gonzalez, 29, was an employee of Tesla, Inc., and had two children. His family reported that he was undergoing a mental health crisis. [24]