Stanley Milton Sapiro, 86; Attorney Forced High Court to Action

Stanley Milton Sapiro, 86, a Malibu attorney who forced the California Supreme Court to issue decisions more promptly, died Thursday at his home in Laguna Niguel after a 35-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.

In 1987, Sapiro sued the state high court on behalf of a client, Brian W. Stevens, after waiting more than 2 1/2 years for a ruling in a case.

Sapiro cited a state constitutional provision requiring judges to file decisions within 90 days after cases are submitted, or forfeit their paychecks. Lower courts adhered to the law, but for 30 years, the backlogged Supreme Court had sidestepped it by claiming that a case was not formally “submitted” until virtually ready for a decision.

Sapiro’s case was settled without a trial. But a year later, the Supreme Court adopted a rule requiring decisions be issued 90 days after a case was argued before them.

A graduate of UC Berkeley and Hastings School of Law, Sapiro once handled a lawsuit that resulted in then-Gov. Ronald Reagan’s ranch being reassessed at a rate 620% higher than the original value assigned for property tax purposes.

In 1980, when he lived in Eagle Rock, the Democrat unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Carlos Moorhead (R-Glendale) for the 22nd Congressional District seat.