The Wagner Law Group News
[SETTLEMENT] $2.5 Million Verdict: The Wagner Law Group Holds Fresno County to Its Deal Over the UMC Building
August 10, 2026
The result The Wagner Law Group won a $2.5 million breach-of-contract verdict for client CMG against Fresno County. The fight was over the UMC building — a 33-acre former hospital campus in southeast Fresno. CMG agreed to buy and redevelop the property; the County backed out and kept CMG’s deposit....... Read more »
Lawsuits Mount After Orange County Chemical Tank Failure
May 29, 2026
Following the chemical tank emergency at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, residents have filed suit alleging the company failed to properly address known safety risks before the incident forced widespread evacuations. The lawsuit claims affected residents suffered disruption, fear, evacuation-related expenses, and other losses after officials warned of a potential...... Read more »
Sanger Reaches $5.2 Million Settlement With Victim of Sexual Predator Police Officer
March 9, 2026
Attorney Wagner said he plans to submit complaints on Monday on behalf of four additional victims. Wagner stated that Torrence served five years with the department, starting in 2016, and believes Torrence may have harmed others during that period. He said there are at least 10 more victims, and possibly...... Read more »
Jury Orders Uber to Pay Damages in Assault Case
February 18, 2026
Uber Technologies Inc. has been ordered to pay $8.5 million after a jury ruled in favor of a 19-year-old woman who said she was sexually assaulted by her driver in Arizona. The decision, delivered by a nine-member jury in Phoenix on February 5, marks the first time the rideshare company...... Read more »
Sanger settles with woman who was sexually assaulted by on-duty officer
January 30, 2026
SANGER, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The City of Sanger reached a large settlement with a woman who was sexually assaulted twice by a Sanger Police officer while he was on the job. The woman with whom the city has settled was 67 years old when she was sexually assaulted by Torrence...... Read more »
Settlement reached in lawsuits related to infamous women’s prison in California
December 15, 2025
DUBLIN, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Over 100 former inmates from around the nation, including from Fresno, will be compensated for the horrors they say they suffered at the hands of prison workers. “It was so bad there with the guards molesting, sexually abusing, raping the inmates that it was known as...... Read more »
Former FCC Coach Files Suit Claiming Chancellor Orchestrated His Arrest
November 14, 2025
Acting with malice, Chancellor Dr. Carole Goldsmith used her connections with police to orchestrate the false arrest of former Fresno City College coach Edward Madec, a lawsuit contends. Madec, 53, has hired two powerhouse lawyers – Fresno attorney Nicholas “Butch” Wagner and San Francisco attorney Mark Schallert – to file...... Read more »
Former Sanger PD Officer Sentenced to Five Consecutive Life Sentences for Sexually Assaulting Women While on Duty
October 29, 2025
Former Sanger Police Department Officer J. DeShawn Torrence, 41, was sentenced today by visiting U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson, to five consecutive life sentences for sexually assaulting four women whom he encountered during the course of his official duties. After a two-and-a-half-week trial in January 2025, a federal jury...... Read more »
Fresno County to Pay $3M in Shooting of Unarmed Man by Deputies
October 15, 2025
The family of Kenneth Mullins, a 32-year-old man shot and killed by Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputies in March 2020, has reached a $3 million settlement with Fresno County—pending final approval. Mullins, who was homeless, was found asleep inside an auto shop after allegedly breaking in. When deputies arrived, two claimed...... Read more »
California’s Lookback Window for Sexual Assault Survivors
September 26, 2025
California’s Lookback Window for Sexual Assault Survivors For a very long time in California, survivors of sexual abuse and assault were trapped by deadlines. The law said you had a certain number of years to file a lawsuit, and if you missed it — even if you were dealing with...... Read more »

