Attorney Peter M. Liss Case Results

DUI and Driving Crimes Case Outcomes

• Drunk Driving With Injury

  The Case: An allegedly intoxicated driver left the road and crashed into a lagoon, leaving himself and his passenger submerged in water. The driver helped his passenger escape from the vehicle by opening the door and pulling them to the surface.
  
  The Charges: Despite his heroic actions, he was charged with felony DUI with injury, punishable by up to 3 years in prison.
  
  The Result: Liss helped his client avoid jail time by pleading the charges down to a wet reckless, which carries no jail time.

• DUI Vehicular Manslaughter

  The Case: A drunk driver caused an accident that caused his vehicle to overturn. His passenger was thrown from the vehicle and died.
  
  The Charges: The driver was charged with gross manslaughter while intoxicated, which is punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment.
  
  The Result: Liss helped get his client one year in jail and formal probation.

• DUI-Related Vehicular Homicide

  The Case: A father driving under the influence caused a crash that killed his adult son. He had a BAC of 0.20% and tested positive for marijuana use.
  
  The Charges: The prosecutor filed DUI-related vehicular homicide charges and sought the maximum prison term of 10 years.
  
  The Result: The defendant had a clean record and spent months in substance abuse programs before his sentencing. Liss convinced the judge that the grieving father was sufficiently remorseful after losing his son. The judge sentenced the driver to one year of jail and five years of probation.
  
  Reported by: San Diego Union-Tribune

• High BAC DUI Causing Injury and Hit and Run

  The Case: A woman with a BAC of 0.37% (more than four times the legal limit) was involved in an accident and fled the scene before authorities arrived. She claimed she was scared and confused and left the scene not to avoid responsibility but to tell her husband what happened.
  
  The Charges: She was charged with DUI causing injury and hit-and-run, punishable by up to nine years in prison.
  
  The Result: Liss helped her secure a plea bargain for 4 years and 4 months of prison time. The deal allowed the defendant to serve on a firefighting crew while behind bars.
  
  Reported by: The Daily Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, and CBS on multiple occasions

• Second-Degree Murder With DUI Homicide

  The Case: A man was arrested for causing a fatal wrong-way accident with a BAC of 0.24 (three times the legal limit).
  
  The Charges: He was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and drunk driving. He faced life imprisonment because his two prior DUI convictions opened him up to 2nd-degree murder charges.
  
  The Result: Working together with his friend and colleague, Joni Eisenstein, Liss managed to get a hung jury for the murder charge and then got the charge dismissed in a plea agreement. The client pleaded guilty to just the gross vehicular manslaughter charge and was sentenced to 16 years.
  
  Reported by: Times of San Diego and the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Criminal Traffic Case Outcomes

• Juvenile Felony Vehicular Manslaughter

  The Case: A 17-year-old driver passed multiple trucks pulling trailers without knowing there was a blind curve ahead, leaving her unable to see motorcyclists coming the other direction. She struck multiple motorcycles, resulting in the death of one rider and the loss of another’s leg.
  
  The Charges: The teen was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving resulting in injury, which could have left her detained in a juvenile facility for several years.
  
  The Result: Thanks to Liss’s defense, the judge found the gross vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving charges to be not true (the juvenile court equivalent of not guilty), but found it was true that she committed misdemeanor negligent vehicular manslaughter. She was sentenced to informal probation and avoided becoming a ward of the court.
  

• Vehicular Manslaughter of a Child

  The Case: A driver exiting a driveway hit and killed a three-year-old boy. Once the driver realized what had happened, he exited the car and tried to help. The defendant only had a BAC of 0.02%, far below the 0.08% legal limit.
  
  The Charges: He was charged with vehicular manslaughter, driving without a valid license, and providing officers with false identification, punishable by 2 and 1/2 years in jail.
  
  The Result: With Liss’s help, the driver pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to one year in jail.
  
  Reported by: Fox 5 San Diego multiple times, San Diego Union-Tribune, KUSI, CBS, The Chicago Tribune, and The Hartford Courant

Theft and Fraud Case Outcomes

• Insurance Fraud

  The Case: The owners of an Escondido landscaping company were accused of underreporting payroll to reduce their workers’ compensation insurance premiums multiple times between 2014 and 2021.
  
  “These are good people who run a solid company that employs many individuals, and they contribute a lot to this community,” Liss said in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune. “People should not rush to judgment and just wait to see how this unfolds in court.”
  
  The Charges: The owners were charged with five counts of insurance fraud, punishable by up to 9 years in prison.
  
  The Result: Liss represented one of the owners and successfully negotiated the dismissal of the felony charges. His client was sentenced to misdemeanor diversion, allowing the charges to be dismissed without jail time after the diversion period.
  
  Reported by: San Diego Union-Tribune

• Identity Theft and Grand Theft

  The Case: A math teacher handling the books for a local Pop Warner league wrote checks to pay off her personal debt, intending to repay it. Eventually, she took so much that she could not reimburse the league. “Ms. Owens was so overburdened with her own economic crisis that she did not think through what she was doing,” Liss said. “She lost everything she had as a result.”
  
  The Charges: The teacher was charged with three counts of felony identity theft and 22 counts of felony grand theft, punishable by up to 18 years in prison.
  
  The Result: She pleaded guilty to five felony charges, including embezzlement, identity theft, and grand theft. Thanks to Liss, she only served one year in jail and five years on probation. She was also ordered to pay back the money in installments and attend credit counseling classes.
  
  Reported by: San Diego Union-Tribune and Baltimore Sun

• Conspiracy and Grand Theft

  The Case: A real estate agent participated in a “land grant” program targeting people at risk of foreclosure. He recruited participants, asking them to sign their deeds over to a private company and rent their homes. The scam caused over 400 desperate homeowners to pay fees for a service that did nothing to help them keep their homes.
  
  Liss argued that his client believed in the program and was conned by the scam’s ringleader. “He had a very unsophisticated understanding of the program,” Liss said, “I don’t think that he intended on scamming anyone.”
  
  The Charges: He was charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, grand theft, and deceitful practices as a foreclosure consultant, punishable by decades in prison.
  
  The Result: Under Liss’ guidance, the client pleaded guilty and served two years behind bars. The ringleader of the scam, who had a different attorney, was sentenced to 46 years.
  
  Reported by: San Diego Union-Tribune multiple times and Voice of San Diego

• Grand Theft By Embezzlement

  The Case: A financial planner was arrested for embezzling $200,000 from an elderly couple he was working with.
  
  The Charges: The man faced grand theft charges, punishable by up to five years in prison.
  
  The Result: While the Deputy District Attorney pushed to have the defendant sentenced to four years in prison, Liss secured a plea bargain that resulted in his client only serving two years. Additionally, though the judge wanted the defendant to pay $200,000 in restitution, Liss reminded him the law only allowed those in prison to pay $10,000 in fines. As a result, the judge waived the fine and ordered the restitution to be handled in civil court instead.
  
  Reported by: Los Angeles Times

Violent Crime Outcomes

• Assault With a Deadly Weapon Resulting in Great Bodily Injury

  The Case: A man unintentionally cut in front of another in the Carlsbad Costco gas station. He was approached by one of the drivers he cut in line, who head-butted him and then reached for his neck. In an attempt to defend himself, he pulled a knife and stabbed his attacker.
  
  The Charges: He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily injury, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison.
  
  The Result: Liss showed the alleged victim had previously been convicted of manslaughter after stabbing a high school classmate, presented slow-motion video footage demonstrating the client was acting in self-defense, and introduced a witness who corroborated the defendant’s story. In the face of this evidence, the District Attorney dismissed the charges at the preliminary hearing.

• Vehicular Assault Resulting in Great Bodily Injury

  The Case: A driver assaulted another individual with his vehicle.
  
  The Charges: He was charged with vehicular assault resulting in great bodily injury, a form of aggravated assault that can result in a lifelong driver’s license suspension and seven years in prison.
  
  The Result: Liss negotiated a plea agreement reducing the charges, so his client received a misdemeanor diversion, meaning the charges will be dismissed with no jail time after the terms of his agreement are completed.

• Attempted Robbery

  The Case: A man wearing a ski mask pulled out a 10-inch knife and attempted to rob a gas station before abandoning the attempt altogether and driving home.
  
  
  The Charges: He was charged with attempted robbery, punishable by up to one year in jail.
  
  The Result: Liss underscored the young man’s severe mental health needs, pointing out that he needed daily treatment for his condition. “It seems pretty clear that this is really the outgrowth of a mental health issue,’’ said Liss. The mental-health-related defense was effective, and the man was sentenced to probation with no jail time after pleading guilty.
  
  Reported by: San Diego Union-Tribune on multiple occasions

• Drive-By Shooting Murder

  The Case: A man killed another person in a drive-by shooting.
  
  The Charges: When a first-degree murder is done through a drive-by shooting, it’s considered a “special circumstance,” meaning the prosecution can seek the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.
  
  The Result: The prosecution sought a life sentence for this crime. However, because the victim had threatened the life of the defendant and another participant of the drive-by, Liss was able to negotiate a plea agreement that resulted in his client being convicted of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 years of prison, drastically less than he could have served.

• First-Degree Murder With a Prior Strike

  The Case: A man with a strike on his record was accused of shooting a woman 10 times in a parking lot.
  
  The Charges: The defendant was charged with first-degree murder and faced life imprisonment.
  
  The Result: Liss and his co-counsel, Chris Whelton, secured a plea bargain for voluntary manslaughter with a gun that resulted in a 27-year sentence.
  
  Reported by: NBC 7 San Diego

Drug Crime Outcomes

• Fraudulently Obtaining a Controlled Substance

  The Case: In 2006, the executive director of the North County Humane Society was arrested by the DEA after obtaining 3,600 Vicodin tablets, allegedly for her dog.
  
  The Charges: She was charged with obtaining a controlled substance through fraud, punishable by up to three years in prison.
  
  The Result: Liss was able to arrange for his client to go through a drug diversion program, allowing her to avoid jail.
  
  Reported by: San Diego Union-Tribune

Other Criminal Case Outcomes

• Probation Violation

  The Case: A man on probation legally filmed a violent Border Patrol arrest as another undocumented worker escaped capture. After he sent the footage to ABC 10 News, which aired it, Border Patrol agents then came to his house. He gave up his cell phone when asked to but refused to help them find the individual who escaped.
  
  The Charges: He was initially arrested for failing to cooperate with a police investigation. However, an officer later claimed he arrested the man for violating his probation agreement by failing to check in with his caseworker after interacting with law enforcement officers.
  
  The Result: Liss argued that the officer changed his story because his client was not legally required to turn over the undocumented worker. “You have no obligation, whether you’re on probation or not, to basically help law enforcement do its job,” he said. Liss and the ACLU argued that the arrest was retaliation for releasing the video to the press. Beyond that, phone records showed that he did try to contact his caseworker multiple times.
  
  The judge sided with Liss, explaining that the defendant did contact his caseworker and was not provided with a written notice detailing how he violated the program rules and his appellate rights, as required by law.
  
  Reported by: The Press-Enterprise

Every Criminal Case Is Different

Every criminal case presents unique facts, legal issues, and opportunities for defense. Past results cannot guarantee future outcomes, but they can demonstrate an attorney’s experience handling serious criminal matters and negotiating favorable resolutions when possible.

If you have been accused of a crime, call Peter M. Liss to schedule a free initial consultation where he can review the facts of your case, explain your legal options, and begin building a defense strategy.