Sparks and Silber, LLP

"It’s hard to imagine a more outrageous set of circumstances than when you’re molested in an ambulance.”







WRONGFUL DEATH CASES
Catherine McNeil v. District of Columbia (Domestic Violence Wrongful Death / Police Failure to Protect Victim)
	Woman Fatally Stabbed Near NE Home After Date; Victim Had Sought Domestic Violence Help from Court. Washington Post. 19 October 2000.
	Catherine McNeil v. District of Columbia. DC Trial. Vol. VI, No. 2. December 2002.
	“First successful lawsuit in Washington metropolitan area seeking damages for police failure to protect domestic violence victim from murder by ex-boyfriend who had been the subject of a civil protection order. Settlement to pay out over $800,000.00 to Sparks’ client.”
	City Settles Lawsuit Brought by Family of Mother Killed by Ex-Boyfriend. CBS - W*USA 9 News. 4 September 2002.
	“It’s not easy to sue the police for failing to protect someone in a domestic violence case, but Sparks used a legal strategy never tried here before . . . and won a first of its kind settlement.”
Mona Daniels Logan v. District of Columbia (Lorton Stabbing Death)
	Inmate Stabbed to Death. CBS - W*USA 9 News. 8 February 1995.
	“On the same day Sparks settled a previous stabbing case for Joseph Daniels, Daniels was stabbed to death at Lorton.”
	Inn-Dependent, The George Washington American Inn of Court Newsletter. March 1997
	“In one case where a Lorton prisoner was killed by another prisoner, Doug Sparks recently won an $850,000 verdict against the DC government. One of the highest verdicts to date in a DC prison wrongful death case, the story was featured in the Washington Post and Channel 7 television news. The DC government is now showing a much greater interest in settling cases brought by . . . Sparks!”
	Award in Inmate’s Death. Washington Post. 5 March 1997.
	“A DC Superior Court jury has ordered the city to pay $850,000.00 to the family of a prisoner fatally stabbed at Lorton. The family’s attorney, Douglas R. Sparks, said that only two correctional officers, rather than the three required, were on duty at the time.”
	Daniels, et al. v. District of Columbia. Metro Verdicts Monthly. Vol. 9, No. 11. 1998.
	$850,000.00 awarded by jury after the District’s $60,000.00 settlement offer was rejected by attorney Sparks.
	I-Team Investigates Prison Crisis. ABC Channel 7 News. 1 May 1997.
	“Many stabbing cases are the result of shocking negligence . . . Sparks obtained the largest DC prison death award for the family of Joseph Daniels.”
Maria Doe, et al. v. Company XYZ (Latin Toddler Death/ Fall from Landlord’s Unprotected Windows)
	District Toddler Dies in Fall From Sixth-Floor Window. Washington Post. 27 August 2001.
	Landlord had removed screens from family’s apartment windows during August.
	9 News Investigates: Drawn to the Edge. CBS - W*USA 9 News. 11 March 2003.
	“Attorney Doug Sparks represents the family in a lawsuit. He says: ‘The real issue is how many more children are going to die before management complies with the law.’”
	Seguridad Para Los Niños en Edificios de Washington, DC. La Nación USA. 12 March 2003.
	“La madre del niño y su abogado, Douglas R. Sparks, sostienen que de haberse encontrado las pantallas de protección, se hubiera evitado la muerte del niño.”
	Un Milagro y Una Tragedia. Parte No. 1. Univision. 11 March 2003.
	“Douglas Sparks, el abogado de la familia, dice que alguien se tiene que despertar y hacer que los arrendadores sigan la ley que requiera pantallas de proteccion en las ventanas.”
	Un Milagro y Una Tragedia. Parte No. 2. Univision. 12 March 2003.
	“Douglas Sparks dice que la compania le deberia haber informado a los otros inquilinos cuando se cayo el primer nino.”
Althea Yelverton v. Young’s Memorial Day Care, Inc. (5 year old boy killed by speeding motorcycle)
	Motorcycle Hits 2 Boys, Critically Injuring Them. Washington Post. 29 October 2004.
	Victim’s Brother, 7, Witnessed Hit-And-Run. NBC4. 29 October 2004.
	5-Year-Old Dies After Hit and Run. Washington Post. 30 October 2004.
	5 Yr. Old Boy Struck by Motorcycle Dies. ABC-7 News - WJLA. 30 October 2004.
	SE Man Sought in Death of Boy, 5, Hit by Motorbike. Washington Post. 4 November 2004.
Estate of Arlene Carter v. District of Columbia, et al. (Woman Pedestrian Killed in Hit and Run)
	Hit & Run Victim Dies. Washington Post. 10 November 2003.
	Hit & Run in the District. ABC 7 News. 10, 11 November 2003.
	Woman Killed by Hit & Run Driver. Fox 5 News. 10 November 2003.
	Hit & Run Driver Surrenders. Washington Post. 11 November 2003.
	District Letters to the Editor. Washington Post. 20 November 2003.
Givon Pendleton v. District of Columbia (DC Jail Stabbing Death)
	Inmate Dies, Another Hurt in DC Jail Stabbing. Washington Post. \| 17 December 2002
	Suspect in 2 Killings Charged in Slaying of DC Jail Inmate. Washington Post. 3 January 2003.
	Inmate Charged in Slaying at DC Jail. Washington Post. 3 January 2003.
	Legislation on Population Cap at DC Jail Follows Inmate Death. CBS - W*USA 9 News. 7 July 2003.
	“Six months after the Court ordered population cap was lifted, Givon Pendleton was stabbed to death. Attorney Douglas Sparks represents the mother of Givon Pendleton and is a big supporter of Council member Patterson’s bill, but says the issue of violence and overcrowding has already been studied to death.”
	Dangerous Brotherhood at the DC Jail? Washington Post. Colbert King -Op.Ed. 27 December 2003.
	“Pendleton’s mother, Pearl Beale, is suing the District for millions. Through her lawyer, Douglas Sparks, a board member of the DC Prisoners’ Legal Services Project, Beale charges the city with maintaining poor jail security, which allowed the knife . . . that was used to kill her son to be brought into the jail . . . [Is] it any wonder that a report of predatory inmates strong-arming detainees could escape the attention of higher-ups, or that the Muslim Brotherhood could take up residence in the jail without catching the leadership’s attention?”
	Eating Disorder: When Guards at D.C. Jail Do Lunch, Inmates Do Whatever They Please. Washington City Paper. 4 June 2004.
	“Attorney Douglas Sparks, a board member of the D.C. Prisoner’s Legal Services Project, has litigated dozens of D.C. Jail stabbing cases. ‘It’s not a coincidence [that inmates are stabbed when guards leave the units],’ says Sparks, who is handling a case on behalf of [stabbing victim] Covington. He also represents the estate of Givon Pendleton, who was fatally stabbed while the third guard was retrieving trays for his cellblock from the culinary unit. The incident kicked off the bloodiest four-day span at the jail in memory.”
	Crime and Justice. Washington Post. 24 June 2004.
	Inmate pleads guilty to murder of Givon Pendleton in D.C. jail after Sparks had filed wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Pendleton’s estate against the District.
Estate of Vivian Withers-Byrd v. Nak Dong Chong (Traffic Accident Double Fatality)
	• Two Women Die in Crash. The Gazette. 7 January 2003.
	Mother killed and her children injured [Sparks’ clients] when SUV barrels through red light and decimates Neon occupied by victims who were on their way to church.
Corrie Johnson v. Gennise Carter (Postal Delivery Truck Rollover)
	Corrie Johnson v. Gennise Carter. DC Trial. Vol. VI, No. 3. June 2003.
	“Following a one-day trial and a jury verdict in [Sparks’ client’s] favor, the Court entered judgment for plaintiff in the amount of the policy limit, which Allstate paid in addition to plaintiff’s expenses.”
	Corrie Johnson v. Gennise Carter. Metro Verdicts Monthly. Vol. 15, No. 3. 2002.
	Policy limit verdict for postal worker [Sparks’ client] follows jury deliberation of just 20 minutes. Plaintiff had offered to settle, pre-suit, for $15,000.00, but defendant’s insurer, Allstate, refused to make any offer to settle.

VICTIMS OF SEX ASSAULTS
[Minor Students] v. District of Columbia (Sexual Abuse at DC Public School)
	Accused Coach Has Record of Sex Abuse. Washington Post. 5 February 2003.
	School hired coach for girls’ sports despite history of sex crimes.
	Allegations of Sexual Abuse at DC School. Fox 5 News. 13 February 2003.
	Teenage girls on school basketball team report coach’s sex abuse at the public school.
	Ex-Coach Gets 3 Years in Fondling. Washington Post. 27 September 2003.
	Coach convicted of molesting teenage girls at public school. Civil lawsuits follow criminal convictions.
K.D. (minor) v. District of Columbia (5 year old assaulted by teacher)
	Teacher Investigated in Assault on Child. Fox 5 News. 6 June 2003.
	Five-year-old child loses two front teeth after being pushed to floor by teacher.
Jane Doe v. District of Columbia (Women Sexually Assaulted in DC Ambulances)
	Suit Alleges Medics Assaulted SE Woman. Washington Post. 2 December 1989.
	G.C., et al. v. District of Columbia. Legal Times. 18 December 1989.
	“In a . . . suit claiming that the District government was negligent in its supervision of an ambulance crew that . . . sexually assaulted a female patient being taken to the hospital, a District couple is relying on . . . Douglas Sparks . . . .”
	Questions Abound for DC Ambulance Service. CBS - W*USA News. 1991.
	“Attorney Douglas Sparks says DC’s internal documents show officials did not act properly after the first complaint, and the ambulance attendant should never have been put back on the street.”
	Woman Awarded $180,000 in 2nd DC Fondling Case. Washington Post. 31 March 1992.
	“Attorney Douglas R. Sparks cited a 1987 report [that] said Joy often shouted out ambulance windows at women and flirted when he should have been working. Sparks argued that the city should have known Joy was a poor choice to be an ambulance worker.”
Julie Smith v. District of Columbia (Third Woman Sexually Molested in Ambulance)
	Eyewitness News Investigates Sexual Assaults by Ambulance Personnel. CBS - W*USA News. 1991.
	“Sparks, Julie Smith’s lawyer, says it’s hard to imagine a more outrageous set of circumstances than when you’re molested in an ambulance.”
MOTOR VEHICLE / PEDESTRIAN INJURIES
Cecilia Aymacana v. Allison Beth Donohue (Major Intersection Collision - No Independent Witnesses)
	Aymacana v. Donohue. Metro Verdicts Monthly. Vol. 12, No. 12. 2000.
	Policy limit verdict for plaintiff [Sparks’ client] after jury deliberation of only 20 minutes, despite the fact that police officer issued traffic citation to plaintiff and plaintiff’s insurance company had offered her policy limits to settle defendant’s claim against plaintiff. Jury found plaintiff Aymacana not liable to defendant on counterclaim, and plaintiff’s insurer avoided making any payment to defendant.
Lem Lem Merri v. Adam Messersmith (Rear End Collision)
	Lemlem Merri v. Adam Messersmith. Metro Verdicts Monthly. Vol. 17, No. 4. 2005.
	Verdict for immigrant [Sparks’ client]. Allstate, defendant’s insurer, had refused to make any offer to settle.
POLICE SHOOTINGS/ PRISON ASSAULTS
Brian Butler v. District of Columbia (DC Police Shooting)
	District Police Lead Nation in Shootings; Lack of Training, Supervision Implicated as Key Factors. Washington Post. 15 November 1998.
	“Lawsuits that often follow off-duty police shootings have been costly to District taxpayers . . . In 1995, the District paid [Sparks’ client] to settle a lawsuit over the shooting.”
	Questionable Cases Costly. Washington Post. 17 November 1998.
	“Police officials could not explain why the shooting of [Sparks’ client] was never examined by the weapon review board. The District settled the Superior Court lawsuit.”
DC Jail Crisis
	District Paid $12 Million in Settlements. Legal Times. 1 July 2002.
	“DC lawyer Douglas Sparks, who has represented inmates in thousands of personal injury cases over the past 15 years, says stabbing cases became an easy win because the District did nothing to keep inmates from injuring one another. ‘The District was so obviously neglectful, time after time, that these cases became easy,’ Sparks says.”
	Business From Behind Bars. Legal Times. 8 July 2002.
	“The District settled quickly . . . because DC government lawyers noted that Howie’s lawyer, Douglas Sparks, was prepared to show prospective jurors a photo of the 12-inch knife jutting from his client’s back . . . . Sparks is one of a handful of local lawyers that have made a living representing prisoners . . . . The most prolific firm in 2001 was Allen & Sparks.”
	In Danger in the DC Jail. Editorial. Washington Post. 1 January 2004.
	“To be in the DC Jail is to be unguarded and unprotected . . . . The DC Jail, as the recent shooting and countless other beating and stabbings illustrate, is a very dangerous place for inmates and staff alike.”
	Clueless at the Department of Corrections. Washington Post. Colbert King Op-Ed. 3 January 2004.
	“Want to know why it’s hard to take city officials seriously? . . . [T]wo weeks after a small-caliber handgun was smuggled into the prison and fired in broad daylight, [Director] Washington and [Union Spokesperson] Chase are clueless about how the gun got there and who used it.”
	D.C. Jail: Who’s Right? Editorial. Washington Post. 13 January 2004.
	Editorial supports position of D.C. Prisoners’ Legal Services Project over District’s claims that jail is safe. Douglas Sparks serves on its Board of Directors and chairs its Legal Affairs Committee.
	Jail in Crisis: Questions Surround DC Jail Management. CBS - W*USA 9 News. 27 February 2004.
	“But now there is evidence that correction officials are breaking their own rules, says one DC attorney, Doug Sparks. Sparks is also a board member for the DC Prisoners’ Legal Services Project . ‘For at least one and a half hours a day, including today . . . posts on the cell block are abandoned.’ Sparks says enough is enough and that he is, ‘sick and tired of everyone talking about it, studying it, [and grieving families having to sue] about it. It’s cruel, it’s unconstitutional and it’s inhumane. And it’s a disgrace for this city.’”
	Consultant Urges Cut in D.C. Jail Population. Washington Post. 3 June 2004
	“But Douglas R. Sparks, an attorney for the family of one of the inmates killed in December 2002, said Washington’s position on the report conflicts with the legislation that mandated the study. The bill requires that the mayor now impose the number that the consultants arrived at as the maximum inmate population at the jail,’ Sparks said.”
	Weapons Found in City Jail. Washington Post. 29 January 2004.
	“Douglas R. Sparks, a Washington lawyer who has represented inmates assaulted and killed in the jail, said [the jail] is extraordinarily dangerous . . .‘These numbers illustrate that the DC Jail is a facility full of armed inmates . . . When inmates fear for their lives, they will arm themselves for protection. It is cruel that inmates at the District’s jail, most of whom are awaiting trial, are forced to live in these violent conditions.’”
	DC Corrections Chief Resigns. Washington Post. 18 February 2005.
	“Douglas R. Sparks, an attorney for the family of one of the inmates killed in December 2002, said Washington is “personally” named as a defendant in a $20 million lawsuit against the city. “It’s probably a good thing for the city,” Sparks said of Washington’s departure. “Most of the guys that are incarcerated are pretrial detainees and haven’t been convicted of anything. They’ve been forced to live in an inhuman jail, and the director is violating their civil rights.”
	Can the New Security Cameras Save Lives? News Channel 8 - WJLA. 18 February 2005.
	New Security Cameras in DC Jail. ABC-7 News - WJLA. 19 February 2005.
	D.C. Jail Conditions Unchanged Despite Law. Washington Post. 24 April 2005.
	“... Douglas R. Sparks, an attorney for the family of one of the murdered inmates, said he is considering filing a lawsuit against the District if it continues to fail to operate the jail in compliance with the statute.”
	The City as Lawbreaker. Editorial. Washington Post. 26 April 2005.
	“Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3), who chaired the Judiciary Committee when the law was passed,” credits Douglas Sparks’ poignant testimony at the hearings following Givon Pendleton’s murder as inspiring her to improve the conditions at the DC Jail. “[She] told the “Post: ‘[T]he Williams administration disagrees with the policy that is now the law. In effect they have said that they know better than the law.’”
CIVIL RIGHTS CASES
Joseph Harris v. District of Columbia (Prisoner disfigured when attacked by inmate with pot of boiling grease)
	Fox 5 News Investigates Prison Problems. Fox 5 News. 7 May 2003.
	“After being horribly burned, Harris was shackled to his bed for weeks on end in an Arizona prison. Attorney Sparks says the treatment of Harris was cruel and that it is hard to overstate the deprivation suffered by Harris.”
John Doe v. District of Columbia (Middle school student suspended for walking on public sidewalk)
	Street Closed. CBS - W*USA 9 News. 31 March 2004.
	“How’d you like it if a principal punished your child for something he or she did off school property? That’s exactly what happened in Northwest, where more than a dozen students were dealt a harsh penalty, just for walking home the wrong way. [Douglas Sparks, the attorney for one of the suspended students, is challenging the school’s disciplinary action.]”
	Students Suspended Over Route Home. Washington Post. 1 April 2004.
	“At least a dozen Francis Junior High School students were suspended for three days this week for taking a prohibited route home, an action being protested by an attorney representing one of the pupils. “There’s no way this can be lawful, no way,” said Douglas R. Sparks, who wants Ernest reinstated immediately.”

Mothers United to Stop Torture v. District of Columbia (Mothers and Grandmothers of inmates beaten, maced, and abused in D.C. Jail)
	D.C. Inmates ‘Tortured,’ Mothers Say. Washington Post. 25 October 2005.
	“‘The inmates [were] repeatedly maced in the face and genitals while huddled in their cells,’ Wynn said...inmates were ‘dragged to areas outside the view of video cameras to be beaten further.’ This year, the corrections department installed 175 surveillance cameras throughout the jail ...to serve as a deterrent to violence. The mothers, and their attorney, Douglas R. Sparks, said they have been unable to get copies of the videotapes.”
	D.C. Jail Inmates ‘Tortured:” Is this D.C.’s Abu Ghraib? CBS - W*USA News, The Derek McGinty Show. 24 October 2005.
	Mothers Claim Abuse of Sons at Hands of D.C. Jail Guards ABC-7 News - WJLA. 13 October 2005.

TESTIMONY / AWARDS / COMMENTARY
Legislative Testimony
	Testimony of Douglas Sparks, Attorney for Family of Givon Pendleton. District of Columbia City Council Hearing on the District of Columbia’s Inmate Jail Cap Amendment Act of 2003. Committee on the Judiciary. DC Cable Channel. 18 March 2003.
	Live testimony by attorney Sparks describing litany of grossly deficient security measures at DC Jail, and supporting legislation to cap inmate population. Testimony broadcast on DC Cable.
	District of Columbia City Council’s Report On The Inmate Jail Improvement Act of 2003. District of Columbia City Council. Committee on the Judiciary. 22 May 2003.
	“To fail to pass legislation in this arena would constitute a failure to recognize and act on what is potentially a dangerous situation for inmates, staff, and residents of the District of Columbia. In the words of one attorney [Douglas Sparks] who has worked for many years inside the Jail and testified at a recent Judiciary Committee hearing, “I support wholeheartedly what you are doing. It will be a tremendous injustice if it is not done.”
	Testimony of Douglas Sparks. District of Columbia City Council Oversight Hearing on the District of Columbia’s Department of Corrections. Committee on the Judiciary. DC Cable Channel. 1 March 2004.
	“What do we know today that the public did not know last year? In every major [jail] stabbing and shooting receiving publicity since December 2002, no correctional officer saw or heard it. And each of these incidents occurred when a prison guard had abandoned his or her post in the housing unit, after superiors sent no relief guard to replace them.”
Sparks Presents Public Service Award to D.C. Council Member Kathy Patterson
	Council’s Patterson is Honored. Washington Post. 24 June 2004.
	“In presenting the Public Service award, Douglas R. Sparks, lawyer and board member at the legal services project . . . told the gathering ‘Kathy took swift action . . . to remedy a number of the most urgent and dangerous conditions at the jail.’ Patterson, who chairs the council’s Committee of the Judiciary, said in an interview that she was ‘very flattered and honored, because these are important issues and the prisoners’ project is a first-rate human rights organization.”
	Public Service Award Presented to Honorable Kathy Patterson
	(Full text of remarks by Douglas R. Sparks, Board of Directors, D.C. Prisoners’ Legal Services Project). Kathy Patterson’s D.C. Council Web Site: http://www.dccouncil.us/patterson/patterson.html. 17 June 2004.
	Council Member Patterson’s Remarks Accepting the D.C. Prisoners’ Legal Services Project Public Services Award. 17 June 2004.
	“During a hearing on March 18, 2003, Doug Sparks recounted, in very graphic detail, the horrific stabbing death of Givon Pendleton at the D.C. Jail. That night . . . I made a promise to myself...that I would fight for humane, decent conditions at the D.C. Jail . . . Thank you for helping me keep that promise. This honor and recognition touches me to the bottom of my heart.”
	Patterson Receives Public Service Award. Council Member Kathy Patterson’s E-Newsletter #30. 2 July 2004.
	“Board member Douglas Sparks, who presented the award at a ceremony in June, praised Patterson for her commitment to public service.”
	In the News. DC Trial. Volume VIII, No. 2. September 2004.
	“Board member Douglas Sparks, who presented the award at a ceremony in June, praised Patterson for her commitment to public service.”
	Post Columnist Colby King Accepts Public Service Award at Defending Human Rights in the District of Columbia Awards Reception 17 June 2005.
	Renown Columnist and Deputy Editorial Page Editor for the Washington Post and Pulitzer Prize winner Colby King was presented the Public Service Award of D.C. Prisoners’ Legal Services Project by Douglas R. Sparks.
Commentary on DC Jail Shootings
	Mayor Seeks Answers to DC Jail Shootings. CBS - W*USA 9 News. 21 December 2003.
	“Doug Sparks is a DC lawyer suing the city on behalf of the family of Givon Pendleton, a 24-year-old inmate who was stabbed to death . . . last December . . . Sparks says, based on clients he has represented such as Pendleton, he [is] not surprised by Saturday’s shooting.”
	Questions About Gunfire at the DC Jail. Fox 5 News. 22 December 2003.
	“One year later, tears still flow for Givon Pendleton’s mother. Her lawyer, Douglas Sparks, describes the conditions at DC Jail as a disgrace.”
	Jailhouse Gunfire. Fox 5 News 22 December 2003
	“One year ago, a folding knife was smuggled into the jail and used to stab Givon Pendleton. Sparks says that the DC Government has yet to explain how the knife entered the jail, but that he intends to get some answers through the wrongful death lawsuit he filed less than two weeks ago.”
	DC Jail Itemizes Smuggled Weapons. Washington Post. 23 December 2003
	“Doug Sparks, an attorney for the family of an inmate who was stabbed to death at the jail last December, said the weapon in that case [may have been] smuggled by a corrections officer.”
	Protecting DC Inmates. Letter to the Editor (by Douglas Sparks). Washington Post. Published 16 January 2004. (Published and Unedited Versions)
	“I hope that The Post and others of integrity and good conscience will continue to spotlight these conditions so the public will know how these inmates live and die.”
Election Day 2004
	The Gettysburg Battlefield: Election Day 2004. DC Trial. Vol. VIII, No.4. March 2005.
	Commentary from Douglas R. Sparks, attorney, and sometime voting monitor, about the characters and situations he encountered while observing the vote in small town Pennsylvania.

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VICTIMS OF SEX ASSAULTS