LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl quashes corruption probe by California Attorney General due to lack of evidence of wrongdoing

Client(s) Kuehl, Sheila

Jones Day successfully moved to quash three search warrants executed on former LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and obtained a full declination from the California Attorney General, who conceded there was a lack of evidence of wrongdoing. Jones Day represented Supervisor Kuehl—then a sitting member of the Board of Supervisors—in a criminal probe initiated by the controversial public corruption unit of the LA County Sheriff's Department under Sheriff Alex Villanueva. The search warrants alleged corruption, bribery, and a slew of campaign finance-related allegations. Jones Day obtained an emergency stay of any searches of seized property based on the facially deficient warrants. The California Attorney General subsequently took over the investigation and removed the Sheriff's Department from the case. In nearly two years of litigation, Jones Day contested the validity of the search warrants, successfully compelled the Attorney General to provide pre-indictment discovery, and ultimately convinced the Attorney General that there was no evidence of wrongdoing, and the investigation should be closed without any charges and the warrants should be quashed. After describing the result as a "total victory" for Jones Day, the Court agreed and granted Jones Day's motion to quash in full on August 7, 2024, ordering that the Attorney General and the Sheriff's Department return all seized property and destroy all forensic copies.