Chair, Litigation Practice Group | Coachella Valley Lawyer
Slovak Baron Empey Murphy & Pinkney LLP
1800 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way
Palm Springs, California 92262
Telephone: 760.322.2275
Fax: 760.322.2107
Email: murphy@sbemp.com
Shaun M. Murphy is a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated trial attorney and partner with Slovak Baron Empey Murphy & Pinkney LLP. Currently, Shaun’s civil trial and appellate practice includes real estate and land use disputes involving public agency regulation of short-term vacation rentals and homeowner association disputes, Indian law, contract disputes, personal injury claims, corporate governance and shareholder disputes.
Shaun has developed a national reputation as the leading trial attorney in cases involving the transmission of sexually-transmitted diseases. Shaun has obtained several multi-million-dollar jury verdicts with punitive damage awards in multiple states. The verdicts obtained in these cases are some of the largest reported verdicts in the Country. He has also obtained several million-dollar settlements for clients.
NOTABLE ENGAGEMENTS
Personal Injury:
- Behr v. Redmond – obtained a jury verdict of $6,753,600 in Riverside, California against the defendant for failing to disclose a genital herpes infection before engaging in sexual contact;
- Saadian v. Saadian – obtained a $2,492,000 jury verdict in Los Angeles, California for a woman infected with genital herpes by her husband after 16 years of marriage;
- A.S. v. N.F. – obtained a $1,692,000 jury verdict in Dallas, Texas for a woman infected with genital herpes by the defendant who had failed to disclose the infection before engaging in sexual contact;
- Moegling v. Brown – obtained a $2,580,000 jury verdict for a woman in Tacoma, Washington in a genital herpes case where the defendant failed to disclose
- D.C. v. Ralph West, II – obtained a $2,458,000 jury verdict in Houston, Texas for a woman against a pastor for transmitting genital herpes after failing to disclose;
Real Estate/Land Use
- Brown v. Montage at Mission Hills – established homeowners’ right to rent short-term in common interest developments under the Davis Stirling Act
- VRON v. City of Rancho Mirage – successfully represented plaintiff in a series of appeals related to the city’s short-term rental ordinance
- Proper T View v. Prieto – successfully defended unlawful detainer/ejectment action involving Indian land in both state and federal courts obtaining a dismissal for lack of jurisdiction
Trademark/Copyright:
- Buzzballz LLC v. Buzzbox Beverages, successfully defended BuzzBox in a jury trial against claims of trademark infringement in the United States District Court, Central District of Los Angeles;
- Successfully defended a homebuilder in federal district court against architectural copyright claims by obtaining a dismissal of the action;
PUBLISHED DECISIONS
- USA Waste of California, Inc. v. City of Irwindale (2010) 184 Cal.App.4th 53
- Behr v. Redmond (2011) 193 Cal.App.4th 157
- Peterson v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (2015) 236 Cal.App.4th 844
- N.S. v. A.F (Tex. App.—Dallas 2017) 2017 Tex.App.LEXIS 7252
- Chemehuevi Indian Tribe v. McMahon (9th Cir. 2019) 934 F.3d 1076
- Roger v. County. of Riverside (2020) 44 Cal.App.5th 510
- Brown v. Montage at Mission Hills (2021) 68 Cal.App.5th 124
- Mission Springs Water District v. Desert Water Agency, et al. (2024) 2024 Cal.App.LEXIS 247
HONORS AND AWARDS
- Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated
- Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Member, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Lawyers of Distinction 2024
TEACHING AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Adjunct Professor, Legal Writing and Research (2003-2004)
- Marital Torts and Marvin Cases, co-presenter to the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, June 14, 2011, Marin, California
PUBLICATIONS
- “Authenticating Web Pages: Can It Be Done?” California Litigation (Vol. 23, No. 2, 2010).
- “Planning Ahead: the Importance of Validating Evidence In Civil Cases” New Developments in Evidentiary Law In California, Inside the Minds (Aspatore 2010)
- Contributing Commentator, California Civil Jury Instruction Companion Handbook 2009-2010 (West Publishers) (§ 6:1)
- Contributing Author, “Annual Survey of Michigan Law: Criminal Procedure,” Wayne Law Review (Vol. 42, No. 2A, Winter 1996)
ADMITTED TO PRACTICE
- Michigan (1992)
- California (1998)
- Texas (2014)
- New York (2015)
- United States District Courts, Michigan (1992)
- United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit (1993)
- United States Tax Court (1994)
- United States Supreme Court (1997)
- United States District Courts, California (2000)
- United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (2000)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
- The State Bar of California
- The State Bar of Michigan
- The State Bar of Texas
- The State Bar of New York
- American Bar Association
- Trustee, Desert Bar Association
EDUCATION
- UC Law San Francisco, J.D. (1992)
- San Francisco State University, B.A., International Relations, cum laude (1989)
