Black v. County of Los Angeles

Judith Black appeals from judgment of the superior court denying her petition for relief from the provisions of section 945.4, Government Code, requiring a written claim be presented to the County of Los Angeles before an action may be brought against it.

On July 27, 1968, appellant’s husband, driving two of their four minor children northbound on Fullerton Road near Aguirro Street in an unincorporated area of the County of Los Angeles, was killed when a southbound car driven by Lawrence Sutton crashed head-on into his automobile; the two minors were injured. On that day, within twenty-four hours after the collision, two members of the California Highway Patrol investigated the accident and made a report showing, among other things, measurements and the exact location of the accident. On August 6, 1968, appellant retained Archer Zamloch who immediately sent Earl Thomas, his associate, to interview appellant. Thomas received from her two newspaper accounts of the accident and directed by them went to Fullerton Road where he inspected a portion thereof at a place considerably distant from the actual scene of the accident. Apparently satisfied with this inspection Zamloch,…