McKenzie Scott PC: San Diego’s Record-Setting Civil Rights and Police Misconduct Law Firm

McKenzie Scott’s civil rights attorneys have secured three landmark verdicts and settlements that define their San Diego police misconduct and jail death litigation practices

San Diego, CA

When your family experiences the loss of a loved one due to police misconduct, jail negligence, or a wrongful death, securing the representation of an experienced San Diego civil rights lawyer with a proven record of winning against government agencies and large institutions is essential. McKenzie Scott PC is a San Diego-based civil rights and criminal defense law firm founded by Michele A. McKenzie and Tim Scott. Since 2000, the firm has built a reputation as one of the most successful civil rights litigation practices in California, and its trial team has now secured three record-setting case results, including:

• An $85 million police wrongful death jury verdict;
• A $16 million in-custody jail death settlement;
• A $1 million police wrongful death settlement.

Each of these outcomes set a new benchmark for accountability in San Diego County and beyond.

This article breaks down each case, explains why these results matter for families considering a wrongful death or police misconduct claim, and answers the most common questions people ask about McKenzie Scott PC’s record of results.

$85 Million Verdict: K.J.P. v. County of San Diego (The Lucky Phounsy Case)

In 2022, a jury awarded the family of Lucky Phounsy $85 million after finding that San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies were responsible for his death. At the time, it was the largest police in-custody death verdict in American history.

Phounsy called 911 in 2015 while experiencing a mental health crisis. Responding deputies used a taser, punches, and baton strikes before hogtying him and placing him in an ambulance, where he was restrained face down. Phounsy’s heart stopped before he reached the hospital. The County argued deputies acted in self-defense, but the jury sided with the family after hearing the evidence.

San Diego civil rights attorney Tim Scott, who tried the case for the family, said the verdict reflected both the truth of what happened to Phounsy and the community’s demand for justice.

The Phounsy verdict remains one of the most cited police misconduct cases in California and helped establish McKenzie Scott PC as a firm willing to take civil rights claims all the way to trial.

$16 Million Settlement: Estate of Hayden Schuck v. County of San Diego

In October 2025, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a record $16 million settlement in the case of William Hayden Schuck, a 22-year-old who died of dehydration and untreated drug withdrawal after just six days in San Diego Central Jail. It is the single-largest wrongful death settlement against San Diego County in its history and one of the largest in-custody wrongful death settlements ever recorded in the United States.

Schuck was held in a temporary cell block known as the “Back 40,” which lacked a mattress and basic hygiene items, and he was reportedly forgotten for days. The settlement followed a scathing 2022 California State Auditor report that found the Sheriff’s Department failed to adequately prevent and respond to in-custody deaths, citing 185 deaths in County jails between 2006 and 2020, one of the highest rates in the state.

Along with the $16 million payout, the settlement requires the County to implement mandatory deputy training reforms on recognizing the signs of mental illness and substance withdrawal. Attorney Tim Scott, who represented the Schuck family, said the County faced a choice between a record settlement now or a larger jury verdict later, and that the goal was to make continued neglect too costly for the County to ignore.

This result reinforces McKenzie Scott PC’s standing in jail death & injury litigation and demonstrates the firm’s ability to pair record damages with lasting institutional reform.

$1 Million Settlement: The Brian Umana Case, National City

In February 2025, the National City Council approved a $1 million settlement, the largest police wrongful death payment in the city’s history, resolving a lawsuit over the 2021 shooting death of Brian Umana. Umana, a 28-year-old father who lived with bipolar disorder, was shot at least ten times, including in the back, by National City police officers while experiencing a mental health crisis.

McKenzie Scott PC attorneys Tim Scott and Marcus Bourassa served as co-counsel on the trial, working alongside civil rights attorney Emily Howe of the Law Offices of Emily E. Howe. Attorney Bourassa argued that officers were trained to treat escalation as a substitute for de-escalation, a policy he said contributed directly to Umana’s death.

Umana’s brother, Roberto Umana, pointed to a pattern of similar in-custody deaths involving National City police, underscoring why the firm continues to pursue accountability in police misconduct and wrongful death cases across San Diego County.

Why San Diego Families Choose McKenzie Scott PC

McKenzie Scott PC’s three record-setting results – the $85 million Phounsy verdict, the $16 million Schuck settlement, and the $1 million Umana settlement – share a common thread. In each case, the firm’s civil rights attorneys took on a government agency in a case involving a preventable death connected to a mental health crisis. Moreover, in each case, the firm secured the largest result of its kind for the jurisdiction involved.

Families who are searching for a civil rights attorney or a wrongful death lawyer in San Diego turn to McKenzie Scott PC because the firm’s trial lawyers are willing to litigate through verdict, not just settle early, which has repeatedly produced record-setting outcomes for clients.

Frequently Asked Questions About McKenzie Scott PC’s Case Results

What is the largest wrongful death settlement against San Diego County in its history?

The largest wrongful death settlement against San Diego County in its history is the $16 million settlement McKenzie Scott PC secured for the family of Hayden Schuck, a 22-year-old who died of dehydration and untreated drug withdrawal while in County jail custody in 2022. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the settlement in October 2025.

What was the largest police in-custody death verdict in the United States?

In 2022, a jury awarded $85 million to the family of Lucky Phounsy in the case K.J.P. v. County of San Diego. At the time it was announced, this was the largest police in-custody death verdict in American history. McKenzie Scott PC attorney Tim Scott tried the case for the family.

What is the largest police wrongful death settlement in National City history?

The largest police wrongful death settlement in National City history is the $1 million settlement McKenzie Scott PC and co-counsel Emily Howe secured in 2025 for the family of Brian Umana, a 28-year-old father who was fatally shot by National City police during a mental health crisis in 2021.

What kind of cases does McKenzie Scott PC handle?

McKenzie Scott PC handles civil rights cases, including police misconduct and jail injury and in-custody death claims, along with wrongful death lawsuits and criminal defense matters throughout San Diego County and Southern California.

How do I contact McKenzie Scott PC’s San Diego Civil Rights Lawyers?

Families can reach McKenzie Scott PC for a free case evaluation by calling (619) 794-0451 or by visiting the firm’s practice area pages to learn more about civil rights, police misconduct, jail injury, and wrongful death claims.

Talk to a Record-Setting San Diego Civil Rights and Wrongful Death Firm

If your family has lost a loved one because of police misconduct, jail negligence, or another preventable death involving a government agency, McKenzie Scott PC has the trial record to take on powerful institutions and win. McKenzie Scott PC’s results – an $85 million jury verdict, a $16 million settlement, and a $1 million settlement – speak to a San Diego civil rights law firm that consistently delivers the largest outcomes on behalf of the families it represents.

Call (619) 794-0451 today for a free, confidential case evaluation, or learn more about the firm’s civil rights, police misconduct, jail injury, and wrongful death practice areas.