Long

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

PHILOMENE LONG, surviving spouse  and heir-at-law of JOHN THOMAS No. 04-55463 IDLET, deceased, D.C. No. Plaintiff-Appellant,  CV 03-00531 DSF v. (PLAx).

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, OPINION

Defendant-Appellee.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Dale S. Fischer, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted December 5, 2005—Pasadena, California

Filed March 28, 2006

Before: Stephen Reinhardt and Johnnie B. Rawlinson, Circuit Judges, and Claudia Wilken*, District Judge.

Opinion by Judge Wilken

*The Honorable Claudia Wilken, United States, District Judge for the Northern District of California, sitting by designation. COUNSEL

Robert Berke, Law Offices of Robert Berke, Santa Monica, California, for the plaintiff-appellant.

Mildred O’Linn and Janine McMillion, Manning & Marder Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, LLP, Los Angeles, California for the defendant-appellee.

Martin Stein, Alison Turner and Eric R. Cioffi, Greines,…