Elizabeth A. Grimes
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Annette "Beth" Grimes (born 1954) is an Associate Justice
of the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division Eight, having been appointed to the post by Republican
Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger
in 2010.
for one year, she transferred to the University of Texas at Austin
, where she earned her bachelor's degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors. Grimes then earned her Juris Doctor
from Stanford Law School
in 1980 after serving as one of the Associate Editors of the Stanford Law Review
.
Upon graduating from Stanford, Grimes joined the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
. After eight years as an associate, she was promoted to be a partner in business litigation at the firm, serving in that capacity for ten years.
appointed Grimes as a Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court
. She served on that court's Executive Committee, Research Attorneys Committee, Media Committee, Bench Bar Committee, and ADR Committee.
During her time on the Superior Court, she served as the judge in various lawsuits involving actors, agents, and others in the entertainment industry. In 2008, Grimes dismissed a paparazzo
's civil claim for punitive damages
against actor Keanu Reeves
after the paparazzo was injured when Reeves drove his car out of a parking space. Later that year, she presided over a court case where the jury awarded a tow truck
driver $5,000 in damages after he was assaulted by Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
star Jason Wahler.
In 2009, she ordered actor Jon Voight
and his manager's parents to pay US$
100,000 in attorney's fee
s to a pair of New Zealand
producers
after the trio filed an unsuccessful malicious prosecution
lawsuit against the producers. The producers had previously sued Voight and his manager's parents for fraud
and breach of contract
.
In 2010, Grimes dismissed a lawsuit against Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel
and his William Morris Endeavor
Agency after the William Morris Agency's former reality television
chief John Ferriter launched a lawsuit over various contractual violations and defamation related to the merger of the Endeavor Agency and the William Morris Agency.
Outside of Hollywood-related cases, one of Grimes's final actions as a trial court judge was to dismiss a woman's lawsuit against a medical product manufacturer after the woman claimed that a medical camera fell with "crushing force" upon her knees. The woman had claimed that the manufacturer had created a defective product, been negligent
, and committed a breach of contract, but an appellate court later ruled that Grimes was correct in dismissing the suit since the woman had no evidence supporting her claims against the company.
appointed Grimes as an Associate Justice
of the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division Eight, to replace Justice Tricia A. Bigelow, who had been appointed the Court's Presiding Justice
. Grimes was confirmed two months later.
In the November 2010 elections, 72.5 percent of voters supported retaining Grimes as an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal.
of both the Los Angeles
and Inland Empire
chapters of Big Brothers Big Sisters
. She was also a member of the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors and also served as co-chair of the Stanford Law Society of Los Angeles.
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
of the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division Eight, having been appointed to the post by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
in 2010.
Education and legal career
After attending Mount Holyoke CollegeMount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
for one year, she transferred to the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, where she earned her bachelor's degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors. Grimes then earned her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
in 1980 after serving as one of the Associate Editors of the Stanford Law Review
Stanford Law Review
The Stanford Law Review is a legal journal produced independently by Stanford Law School students. The journal was established in 1948 with future U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher as its first president...
.
Upon graduating from Stanford, Grimes joined the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a global law firm, founded in Los Angeles in 1890. The firm is one of the most prestigious and selective in the nation, and ranks among the most successful firms globally. Gibson Dunn has nearly 1,000 attorneys and over 2,000 staff located in 17 offices around the world,...
. After eight years as an associate, she was promoted to be a partner in business litigation at the firm, serving in that capacity for ten years.
Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court
After eighteen years in the private sector at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Republican Governor Pete WilsonPete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
appointed Grimes as a Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court
Superior Court of Los Angeles County
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the Superior Court located in Los Angeles County. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States....
. She served on that court's Executive Committee, Research Attorneys Committee, Media Committee, Bench Bar Committee, and ADR Committee.
During her time on the Superior Court, she served as the judge in various lawsuits involving actors, agents, and others in the entertainment industry. In 2008, Grimes dismissed a paparazzo
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
's civil claim for punitive damages
Punitive damages
Punitive damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit...
against actor Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
after the paparazzo was injured when Reeves drove his car out of a parking space. Later that year, she presided over a court case where the jury awarded a tow truck
Tow truck
A tow truck is a vehicle used to transport motor vehicles to another location , or to recover vehicles which are no longer on a drivable surface.Towing services are generally provided by an emergency road service operator...
driver $5,000 in damages after he was assaulted by Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, often referred to simply as Laguna Beach, is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from September 28, 2004 until November 16, 2006. It documents the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, an affluent seaside community located in...
star Jason Wahler.
In 2009, she ordered actor Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
and his manager's parents to pay US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100,000 in attorney's fee
Attorney's fee
Attorney's fee is a chiefly United States term for compensation for legal services performed by an attorney for a client, in or out of court. It may be an hourly, flat-rate or contingent fee. Attorney fees are separate from fines, compensatory and punitive damages, and from court costs in a...
s to a pair of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
producers
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
after the trio filed an unsuccessful malicious prosecution
Malicious prosecution
Malicious prosecution is a common law intentional tort, while like the tort of abuse of process, its elements include intentionally instituting and pursuing a legal action that is brought without probable cause and dismissed in favor of the victim of the malicious prosecution...
lawsuit against the producers. The producers had previously sued Voight and his manager's parents for fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
.
In 2010, Grimes dismissed a lawsuit against Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel
Ari Emanuel
Ariel "Ari" Zev Emanuel is an American talent agent, founder of the Endeavor Talent Agency in Beverly Hills, California, and now co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, Endeavor's successor by merger...
and his William Morris Endeavor
William Morris Endeavor
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
Agency after the William Morris Agency's former reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
chief John Ferriter launched a lawsuit over various contractual violations and defamation related to the merger of the Endeavor Agency and the William Morris Agency.
Outside of Hollywood-related cases, one of Grimes's final actions as a trial court judge was to dismiss a woman's lawsuit against a medical product manufacturer after the woman claimed that a medical camera fell with "crushing force" upon her knees. The woman had claimed that the manufacturer had created a defective product, been negligent
Negligence
Negligence is a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances. The area of tort law known as negligence involves harm caused by carelessness, not intentional harm.According to Jay M...
, and committed a breach of contract, but an appellate court later ruled that Grimes was correct in dismissing the suit since the woman had no evidence supporting her claims against the company.
Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal
In February 2010, Governor Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
appointed Grimes as an Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
of the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division Eight, to replace Justice Tricia A. Bigelow, who had been appointed the Court's Presiding Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
. Grimes was confirmed two months later.
In the November 2010 elections, 72.5 percent of voters supported retaining Grimes as an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal.
Civic activities
Grimes was a member of the Board of DirectorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of both the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Inland Empire
Inland Empire (California)
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...
chapters of Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501 non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that try to have a measurable impact on youth....
. She was also a member of the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors and also served as co-chair of the Stanford Law Society of Los Angeles.