The Thomas Law Group served as outside counsel to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in litigation associated with the Department’s approval of an approximately 12,000-acre development in northwestern Los Angeles County. In 2012, the trial court granted the plaintiffs’ petition for writ of mandate, ordering the Department to set aside its approvals of the Newhall Ranch plan and its certification of the environmental impact report, and suspending the project until the Department corrected the deficiencies in its process. In March 2014, the Second District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s ruling and found that the Department’s approval of the project was valid. In November 2015, the Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeal on some of the issues and remanded.  The project is under construction. The Department cured the alleged defects, the approval was once again challenged and the on appeal the challenge was rejected by the Court.

Tina Thomas and Amy Higuera represented the Department throughout the judicial proceedings.