Complaint

On December 2, 2024 Plaintiffs Pedro Martinez and Juliette Martinez commenced a civil action in federal court before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. The complaint arises out of Mr. Martinez’s wrongful incarceration for almost five years.

 

Plaintiffs accuse government agents of ignoring evidence, coercing children to produce inculpatory evidence, fabricating evidence, failing to supervise officers, failing to train officers, and other acts. The complaint also names Paul Matiasic, a civil attorney pursuing a claim against Mr. Martinez’s employer arising out of the false allegations, alleging that Mr. Matiasic tampered with evidence by using therapists for the purpose of convincing children, who had consistently denied, that they had been abused, in order to support and strengthen the value of his civil case.

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The suit names as defendants the following parties:

County of San Bernardino; San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department; Deena Pribble (a prosecutor with the Office of the District Attorney for the County of San Bernadino); Paul Matiasic (a trial attorney with an office in San Bernadino, County); Josette Tracy (a detective with the San Bernadino Sheriff’s Department and the lead detective on Mr. Martinez’s criminal case); Brian Arias (a detective with the San Bernadino Sheriff’s Department); Jonathan Womelsdorf (a detective with the San Bernadino Sheriff’s Department); and others whose identities are yet to be know.

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The full complaint can be accessed by clicking here: MARTINEZ V. COUNTY OF SAN BERNADINO, ET AL. COMPLAINT