Partners, Samuel Edgerton & Elizabeth Del Cid, Win on Summary Judgment Municipal Litigation Case

By: Elizabeth Del Cid & Arman Mashoof

This article was updated on 10.7.2025 to reflect new ruling updates.

On September 30, after full briefing and oral argument, Sam Edgerton, Elizabeth Del Cid, and Arman Mashoof successfully persuaded the California Courts of Appeal to affirm the Trial Court’s granting of our motion for summary judgment. The main issues included the law regarding contract formation with municipalities and numerous evidentiary arguments brought by Plaintiff. The judgment was affirmed on every ground.

After two years of litigation, on April 10, 2024, Partners Sam Edgerton (Hermosa Beach, California office) and Elizabeth Del Cid (New York City office) secured a full defense judgment on behalf of a local municipality following competing summary judgment motions that were heard in Los Angeles Superior Court. Plaintiff, a former City Manager for a municipality, brought the action and raised his claims of breach of contract, promissory fraud, and promissory estoppel, on allegations that he was provided a contract to continue his employment as City Manager with the municipality, based on discussions which were purported to have occurred in the municipality’s closed session city council meetings.

In the competing summary judgment motions and at oral argument, Sam and Elizabeth argued on behalf of the municipality that not only the factual evidence, but the law as to contract formation for municipalities, precluded summary judgment in Plaintiff’s favor. Instead, they convincingly demonstrated, and the Court agreed, that Plaintiff had not secured the contract he claims to have obtained.

The decision is on appeal.

Sam Edgerton, Managing Partner of the Hermosa Beach office, and New York Partner Elizabeth Del Cid, litigate cases nationwide. Sam is a former four-time Mayor of Hermosa Beach, California. Elizabeth is a former deputy city attorney for various cities up and down the California coast. Sam and Elizabeth have vast experience representing and advising public entities and local municipalities in a variety of matters, including public law, labor and employment, and constitutional law.