Stiller Law Firm Helps Secure Win for Cyclist in California Supreme Court

Right after college, I rode my bicycle across the United States as a fundraiser to help start a scholarship. To this day, the cross-country ride is one of my proudest achievements, and the scholarship has helped over a dozen high-need students go to college. 🚴

Now, nearly 20 years down the road, I had a unique opportunity to advocate in support of a cyclist who was badly injured while training for a fundraising ride. Ty Whitehead suffered a traumatic brain injury when he hit a pothole in a stretch of road he alleged was negligently maintained by the City of Oakland. The City enforced a waiver Ty had signed with the fundraiser's organizers, making it impossible for him to pursue his case even if the City was negligent.

On May 1, 2025, the California Supreme Court invalidated the waiver. The Court held that the City can't use a waiver form to avoid its statutory obligation to "maintain its roadways in a safe condition for the public, including for those members of the public on bicycles." You can check out the opinion at https://lnkd.in/gX5cUgzW.