Why One School District Spent $1 Million Fighting Special-Education Attorney Tim Adams’ Client (Part 1)

The California Appellate Law Podcast

A big 9th Circuit win for parents of kids with IEPs (individualized education protocols) came down recently, and the prevailing attorney is podcast alum Tim Adams.

In the first of this two-part discussion, we set the table to discuss Irvine Unified School District v. Landers and Gagliano. For example, to understand why parents trying to help their dyslexic daughter needed to make a federal case out of it, you should know:

💵 The school district spent over $1.13 million on its attorneys (at hourly rates up to $1300!).

🥼 The hearings in these cases are often a “trial by experts.”

🙈 IEPs are a constitutional right, so school districts are not legally permitted to consider their costs—but obviously they do. So how does that work?

⚔️ Parents wrongfully denied an adequate IEP have no recourse but to get their children the resources they need—out of pocket—and then fight for reimbursement.

Tim Adams’ biography.

Appellate Specialist Jeff Lewis' biography, LinkedIn profile, and Twitter feed.

Appellate Specialist Tim Kowal's biography, LinkedIn profile, Twitter feed, and YouTube page.

Sign up for Not To Be Published, Tim Kowal’s weekly legal update, or view his blog of recent cases.

The California Appellate Law Podcast thanks Casetext for sponsoring the podcast. Listeners receive a discount on Casetext Basic Research at casetext.com/CALP. The co-hosts, Jeff and Tim, were also invited to try Casetext’s newest technology, CoCounsel, the world’s first AI legal assistant. You can discover CoCounsel for yourself with a demo and free trial at casetext.com/CoCounsel.

Other items discussed in the episode:

• Irvine Unified School District v. Landers and Gagliano, No. 22-55286
• Why One School District Spent $1 Million Fighting a Special-Education Student - WSJ
• Episode 69, Special Education Law with Tim Adams
• Videos from this episode will be posted at Tim Kowal’s YouTube channel.