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California Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Ripped Off Prisoner
Loaded on Feb. 1, 2026
by Michael Thompson
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2026, page 27
Filed under:
Attorney Misconduct,
Court Appearances,
Trials,
Abuse of Discretion Standard,
Access To Courts.
Location:
California.
by Michael Thompson
Jin Woo Park was a prisoner of the State of California at the Corcoran State Prison when he hired Michael L. Guisti to file his petition of habeas corpus in both state and, if necessary, federal courts. Despite accepting the $35,000 contract, Guisti failed to …
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More from this issue:
- Most U.S. Prisoners Now Barred from Directly Receiving Physical Mail, by Chuck Sharman
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Barbaric and Deadly Conditions Continue to Plague Los Angeles County Jails, by Douglas Ankney
- New Hampshire Prison System Struggles to Hire Guards
- Washington County Pays $300,000 to Jail Detainee Denied Treatment for Kidney Stone, by Chuck Sharman
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, by Chuck Sharman
- Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution, by Matthew Clarke
- Report: Incarcerated Population in Rural Jails and Prisons At Risk of Losing Hospital Access, by Michael Thompson
- Three Prisoners Killed in Fight at Georgia Prison
- $450,000 Paid for Michigan Jail Detainee’s Fentanyl Death, Incarcerated Husband Prevails in Claim for Part of Payout, by Chuck Sharman
- North Carolina Parole Commission Agrees to Stop “Moving Goalposts” for Prisoners Who Committed Crime as Juveniles, by Chuck Sharman
- Escape from Georgia Jail Ends in Florida after Lyft Hijacking, by Jo Ellen Nott
- FCC Releases Final Version of Order Gutting 2024 Phone Cap Regulations, by Michael Thompson
- Half of South Dakota’s Prison Population Returns to Prison
- D.C. Federal Court Holds Blocking Prison Reform Advocate’s Access to Federal Prisoners May Violate First Amendment and Due Process, by Matthew Clarke
- $2 Million Settlement Reached for 12-Year-Old’s Gang Rape in Detroit Juvenile Detention Center, by Chuck Sharman
- The St. Louis Jails Are Running Out of Guards, by Ivy Scott
- Virginia Prisoners Stuck Waiting for Education Programs, by Anthony Accurso
- Killings Inside Mississippi’s Prisons Continue Unabated But Report Prompts DOC to Reopen Investigations, by Douglas Ankney
- California Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Ripped Off Prisoner, by Michael Thompson
- Alaska Deaths in Custody Tie Record High
- Los Angeles County Restricts Opioid Treatment, by Michael Thompson
- Federal Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Are Facing Retaliation by Trump, by Michael Thompson
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Estate Cannot Sue Jailers Who Followed Medical Personnel Advice That Led to Detainee’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Cuyahoga County Receives Over $846,000 Refund from Securus Technologies
- HRDC Sues Minnesota DOC Over Censorship Policy, by Robert Haughn
- Sixth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Failure to Properly Classify Violent Prisoners at Kentucky Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Competency Crisis in Missouri’s Jails, by Douglas Ankney
- Alabama and Wexford Health Pay Undisclosed Settlement for Delays Costing Prisoner Partial Foot Amputation, by Chuck Sharman
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Alabama County May Be Liable for Policy of Providing Inadequate Jail Medical Care, by Matthew Clarke
- Punished for Bleeding: How Periods in Prison Become a Trap, by Candace Norwood
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Claim Over Prisoner’s Suicide in Oklahoma Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Notice of Appeal of Order Denying Qualified Immunity Must Be Filed Within 30 Days of Entry, by Douglas Ankney
- Two Mississippi Prisons Lose Power During Winter Storm
- Delaware Settles Suit Over Depriving Young Prisoners of Special Education, by Chuck Sharman
- Deportation of Kenyan Priest Working as Texas Prison Guard Highlights TDCJ’s Dependence on Immigrant Staff, by Matthew Clarke
- Differing Judicial Outcomes for the New York Guards Who Killed Robert Brooks, by Jo Ellen Nott
- New York State Prisons Turning Away Visitors with Tampons After Scan
- Georgia Grand Jury Dings Augusta Jail for Overcrowding Days Before Violent Detainee Assault, by Chuck Sharman
- Oklahoma Prisoner Who Escaped Through Hole Killed by Sheriff
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Wheelchair-Bound Washington State Prisoner’s Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Disabilities During Transport, by Matthew Clarke
- After Exposing Prison Horrors, Incarcerated Whistleblowers Are Moved to Solitary, by Katie Rose Quandt
- Amid ‘Catastrophic’ Shortage, Psychologists Flee Federal Prisons in Droves, by Beth Schwartzapfel
- County Jail in Oklahoma Accused of Coercing Detainees to Convert to Christianity
- Federal Court Strikes Much of Virginia’s Felony Voting Restriction, by Chuck Sharman
- Arkansas Bans Outside Reading Material Sent to Prisons, by Jo Ellen Nott
- The New York Prison System’s Culture of Cruelty and Impunity, by Michael Thompson
- “Critical Labor Shortage” Declared at Two Rural Prisons in Nevada
- Pennsylvania County Renews $8 Million Contract with PrimeCare Despite Settlements
- Report on Baltimore Jail Reveals Human Waste Dripped from Ceilings
- Idaho Prisons Are Full. Costs for Incarcerating Inmates in Jails and Out of State Are Skyrocketing, by Laura Guido
- California Oversight Agency Hasn’t Finished a Single Review of Jail Deaths
- Missouri Prisoners Forced to Shovel Snow in Subzero Temperatures
- New York State Moves to Dismiss Hundreds of Prison Sexual Assault Lawsuits, by Jo Ellen Nott
- United States Postal Service Declares Postmarks Could Be Delayed
- News in Brief
More from Michael Thompson:
- New Illinois State Law Requires Prisons to Submit Annual Hospice Reports, April 1, 2026
- Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026
- Faults Found with Centurion in Kansas Four Years Ago Are Still Not Fixed, April 1, 2026
- Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Law Intended to Reduce Prison Population Hasn’t Improved Conditions, March 1, 2026
- Southern Poverty Law Center Report Shows Culture of Abuse at Florida Prison, March 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Case Against Guards Who Failed to Intervene As Chaplain Sexually Assaulted Arkansas Prisoner, March 1, 2026
- Overcrowded State Mental Hospitals Lead to Longer Jail Time and Lack of Treatment, March 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment in Illinois Prisoner’s Segregation Lawsuit, March 1, 2026
- Detainee Death from Kidney Infection Highlights Broken Policy in Washington State, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026. Procedural Error, Failure to Object, Abuse of Discretion Standard, Jury Selection, Juror Challenges.
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026. Appealable Issues/Orders, Abuse of Discretion Standard, De Novo Resentencing, Appellate Jurisdiction/Review, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026. Evidentiary Claims, Abuse of Discretion Standard, Expert and Opinion Testimony, Competency Hearing, Denial of Due Process.
- Eighth Circuit Rules Iowa Prisoner’s Adverse Summary Judgment Is Not a “Strike”, March 1, 2026. Filing Fees (PLRA), Frivolous Litigation (PLRA), Summary Judgment, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Access To Courts.
- Mail Went Digital in Alabama Prisons. Families Are Saying Their Mail Isn’t Being Delivered, March 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Legal Mail, First Amendment, rights, Access To Courts, Access to Computers.
- Second Circuit Holds Exclusion of Evidence Corroborating Defendant’s Testimony About Third-Party Statements Bearing on Intent Was Error, Clarifying That Rule 404(b) Does Not Bar Non-Propensity Evidence Offered to Support Credibility, March 1, 2026. Evidentiary Claims, Abuse of Discretion Standard, Motive/Opportunity/Intent/Identity Evidence, Character/Reputation/Propensity, Plain/Harmless Error.
- New York State Moves to Dismiss Hundreds of Prison Sexual Assault Lawsuits, Feb. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, DOC/BOP misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Authority and Jurisdiction, Access To Courts.
- United States Postal Service Declares Postmarks Could Be Delayed, Feb. 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Due Process, Legal Mail, Access To Courts.
- Illinois Supreme Court Announces Six-Element Jeffries Test Governs Self-Defense Jury Instructions in Cases Involving Force Against Police Officers, Rejecting Appellate Court Approaches That Either Created Separate Threshold Inquiry or Automatically Requir, Feb. 1, 2026. Excessive Force (Police), Abuse of Discretion Standard, Jury Instructions in Jury Room, Plain/Harmless Error, Factual Disputes/Findings.
- Ninth Circuit Grants Equitable Tolling Under AEDPA Where Attorney Abandoned Prisoner by Failing to Communicate for Nine Months and Prison Officials Delayed Processing Filing Documents, Dec. 15, 2025. Attorney Misconduct, Legal Materials, Law Library Access/Adequacy, Limitations, AEDPA.

