Appeals
Deborah H. Wald & Paul W. Thorndal have a combined twenty-five years experience handling appeals in state and federal appellate courts and at the California state Supreme Court level. Ms. Wald and Mr. Thorndal bring their combined knowledge and extensive appellate experience to the firm's family law appeals practice. Both are prepared to litigate in new and undecided areas of law, and their published opinions have served to clarify and broaden legal boundaries.
Deborah H. Wald has extensive experience with both criminal and family law appeals. Her published opinions include S.Y. v. S.B (2011) 201 Cal.App.4th 1023 (http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/C065700.PDF), a case seeking to apply the rules for determining "presumed" parentage in a context where the children had previously been adopted by only one parent; and People v. Salazar-Merino (2001) 89 Cal.App.4th 590, a case challenging the constitutionality of the criminal provisions of Proposition 187, the initiative passed by the voters in 1994 to prevent undocumented Californians from receiving public benefits or services including health care and education.
Ms. Wald also has also served as cooperating counsel to the National Center for Lesbian Rights, working directly on the appeals of In re Nicholas H. (2002) 28 Cal.4th 56; Sharon S. v. Superior Court (2003) 31 Cal.4th 17; K.M. v. E.G. (2005) 37 Cal.4th 130; and Elisa B. v. Superior Court (2005) 37 Cal.4th 108. In addition Ms. Wald has served as lead counsel for Charisma R. since 2006, representing Ms. R. through five years of proceedings at both the trial and appellate court levels, and leading to two published opinions addressing the standards for determining legal parentage in the context of lesbian partnerships (see Charisma R. v. Kristina S. (2006) 140 Cal.App.4th 301, Charisma R. v. Kristina S. (2009) 175 Cal.App.4th 361).
Paul W. Thorndal has handled civil appeals in both state and federal courts since beginning his civil law practice in 1995. His appeals have involved a variety of issues including assisted reproduction, employment discrimination, landlord-tenant disputes and other civil matters. His published case Alexandria S. v. Pacific Fertility Medical Center (1997) 55 Cal.App.4th 110, in which he successfully defended Pacific Fertility Medical Center remains the only published opinion in California addressing the liability of a fertility clinic in an assisted reproduction dispute.
NOTE: Pacific Fertility Medical Center is not affiliated with Pacific Fertility Center (PFC) in San Francisco.
