Press Releases

Jeffrey Dunn Cited for Successful Medical Marijuana Case Before State Supreme Court

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

LOS ANGELES _ The Daily Journal today named Jeffrey V. Dunn, a Best Best & Krieger litigator known for handling complex cases for public agencies, as one of the Top 100 attorneys in California for 2013.

The newspaper recognized Dunn for successfully arguing before the state Supreme Court in February on behalf of the city of Riverside that state law does not prevent cities and counties from regulating medical marijuana dispensaries.

In one of the most anticipated decisions of the year, the court concluded on May 6 in City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center that the voter-approved 1996 Compassionate Use Act and the 2003 Medical Marijuana Program passed by the California Legislature do not preempt local government bans on facilities that distribute medical marijuana.

“I appreciate the recognition by the Daily Journal of this important decision that assures local governments that they have the power to make public safety decisions that suit them best,” Dunn said.

The Daily Journal Corp., publisher of the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, issued its annual list of the state’s top 100 attorneys in a special supplement to today’s editions. According to The State Bar of California, there are more than 244,000 attorneys statewide.

Dunn, who is based in BB&K’s Irvine office, has been with the law firm since 1987.

A key litigator for public agencies across California, he often handles complex cases involving water rights, transportation issues and other important issues. He was previously recognized by the Daily Journal in 2011 as one of California’s top 25 municipal attorneys. He received another recognition in 2012 from the Daily Journal for securing one of California’s “top verdicts” in 2011 for a complicated groundwater rights case involving more than 70,000 parties in the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles.

In court cases involving medical marijuana regulation leading up to the state Supreme Court’s decision, Dunn was the lead trial and appellate counsel in several decisions affirming local government’s authority to protect public safety and local land use authority. The appellate cases included City of Corona v Naulls in 2008, City of Claremont v. Kruse in 2009 and City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patients’ Health and Wellness Center in 2011, the case that eventually went to the state Supreme Court.