San Francisco Chronicle Op‑Ed Highlights Seyfarth’s Pro Bono Fight for Corrective Justice in Piedmont

The San Francisco Chronicle published an Op-Ed column, “Piedmont should do more than memorialize the Black homeowners it violently forced out.” The piece, written by attorney George Fatheree, focuses on a pro bono matter for Seyfarth, which is supporting litigation by a descendant of the Dearing family – the first Black homeowners in Piedmont, CA.

The Dearings were forced from their home in the 1920s because of their race through a combination of community-based violence and direct government action. That property is now valued at almost $3 million.

Seyfarth, along with the Legal Defense Fund, has filed suit to gain appropriate compensation for the Dearings’ descendant. The lawsuit seeks redress for Piedmont’s actions that deprived the Dearings of their home, generational wealth, and other benefits of home ownership. Piedmont had planned to construct a memorial but not to compensate the family.

Seyfarth partners Arnold E. Brown, II and Giovanna Ferrari, along with associates Niles Pierson and Clara Rademacher, have led the firm’s efforts, in conjunction with the Legal Defense Fund, to force Piedmont to pay reparations.

You can read the Op-Ed piece here.