News / FJP Releases
FJP Statement on Appeals Court Ruling in Favor of Diana Teran
July 2, 2025 (Los Angeles, CA) — Last Thursday, a California appeals court ordered the dismissal of the Attorney General’s case against former Assistant District Attorney Diana Teran. Ms. Teran was charged with sharing confidential police misconduct records with another prosecutor at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, despite the fact that the records were publicly accessible documents.
The Court held that due to “the legislative history and statement of intent, and the arbitrary and unreasonable consequences that flow from the People’s unconstrained reading of the statute,” Ms. Teran could not be prosecuted under “circumstances where, as here, only purely public court records have been shared.”
Fair and Just Prosecution and the Prosecutors Alliance of California, along with a coalition of former District Attorneys, U.S. Attorneys, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys in California, filed an amicus brief in support of Ms. Teran.
Fair and Just Prosecution’s Executive Director Aramis Ayala had the following statement:
“Today’s decision is a victory not only for Ms. Teran, but for prosecutors everywhere who take seriously their responsibilities to their communities to disclose evidence of police misconduct. The prosecution against Ms. Teran was deeply flawed, and it was an attempt to intimidate public servants in our district attorney offices, dangerously chilling them from carrying out their ethical and Constitutional duties.
The people of California deserve law enforcement agencies that are subject to oversight and transparency. Accountability in policing should remain a top priority for every prosecutor’s office, no matter the political party of the elected District Attorney. The Court of Appeals properly rejected the Attorney General’s case against Ms. Teran, and we are extremely grateful for this outcome.”