A California appeals court has revived a negligence lawsuit against Sonoma County over the 2020 killing of social worker Sylvia Bracamonte, reversing a lower-court ruling that had found there wasn’t enough evidence to hold the county culpable. Bracamonte, 33, was fatally stabbed on March 20, 2020, while working as a group home program coordinator at Community Support Network’s Sanctuary House in Cotati, where the man accused of killing her, Anderson Quinonez-Cabeza, was an 18-year-old resident.
The First Appellate District issued its opinion on September 30, reversing a Sonoma County judge’s 2024 ruling that evidence was insufficient to support the county’s culpability in Bracamonte’s death, according to The Press Democrat. The appellate opinion found Sonoma County had a duty to warn Bracamonte and others that Quinonez-Cabeza might pose a threat, and that the county had superior knowledge of his prior secure placement, severe mental illness, and history of violence and threats. The county, which had contracted with Community Support Network for the placement of children and occasionally very young adults, could have warned the organization and its staff about his violent propensities, the opinion states.
Bracamonte’s daughter, now 9 years old and only 3 when her mother was killed, is the plaintiff who brought the lawsuit. Her attorney, Mark Clausen, told the newspaper he was happy with the appellate ruling and said the decision keeps the case alive. Sonoma County may seek review from the California Supreme Court, and if the decision stands, the lawsuit will return to local court.
What the County and Bracamonte’s Family Are Saying
Sonoma County officials expressed sympathy to Bracamonte’s family but said they would not comment further because litigation remains pending. The county said it is reviewing the recent court decision and its options, and noted that it works with residential provider organizations to house vulnerable community members and provide support services…