Days after Los Angeles Unified removed the new judge assigned to manage two consolidated lawsuits involving the 2022 fentanyl overdose death of a student at Bernstein High School in 2022, a supervising judge has named a replacement.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Janet Hong had only recently inherited the combined complaints after the retirement of Judge Tony Richardson. But last Wednesday, Hong accepted requests by the district that she step aside. Hong sent both cases to a supervising judge, Lawrence Riff, for reassignment.
District officials contended in their court papers, without explanation, that Hong was prejudiced against them.
On Monday, Riff named Judge Mark Kim to oversee the cases. Kim received his law degree from Cornell University in 1988 and later worked in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Former Gov. Pete Wilson appointed him to the bench in 1998.
Plaintiff Elena Perez, mother of the late 15-year-old Melanie Ramos, filed her lawsuit against the LAUSD in December 2022. The second lawsuit was filed on behalf of a teen identified only as H.W., now 19, in October 2023. H.W. was Melanie’s friend and fellow student.