City of Bakersfield Agrees to Pay $18 Million to Resolve Wrongful Death Case

Tiffany Hernstedt-Deal, et al. v. City of Baksersfield, et al. (Kern County Super Ct. No. BCV21101694): On September 25, 2025 the City of Bakersfield agreed to the terms of an $18 Million settlement to resolve a wrongful death matter associated with an accident that occurred due to a malfunctioning traffic light. The incident arose from an accident involving a vehicle driven by Christina Moreno Gonazalez, who struck a motorcycle driven by Nicolas Brenden Peterson after Gonzales turned into an intersection after assuming that the light there had turned green, when it had not. The intersection had a documented history of malfunctioning traffic signals going back to 2019. Nicolas Peterson suffered a traumatic brain injury, which ultimately led to his death. The City of Bakersfield argued that there was a lack of causation between the dangerous condition and the death. Plaintiffs were represented by Dordick Law Corporation and Gold Coast Law APC. Defendant was represented by Marderosian & Cohen APC.