Chapter Meeting

Topic: Using the (Bakersfield) Sunland Refinery case as an example, John will explain the types of cases that his office prosecutes and the sorts of resolutions that they seek to obtain for safety violations and issues.   

Deputy district attorney John Mitchell is assigned to the civil unit of the Kern County District Attorney’s Office, and prosecutes consumer fraud and environmental cases.  In 1995, he prosecuted World Oil for the explosion at the Sunland Refinery that caused the death of Tracy Kildebeck and injured several others.  The case resulted in a $5.5 million civil settlement and an injunction against World Oil.  Since then, DDA Mitchell has prosecuted over a hundred civil cases, many of which involved safety threats to workers and the public.  He will explain the types of cases that his office prosecutes and the sorts of resolutions that they seek to obtain. 

Speaker:  John T. Mitchell, Deputy District Attorney
Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit – Kern County District Attorney’s Office

John Mitchell graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1978, and from Hastings College of the Law in 1981.  He was admitted to the California Bar on December 1, 1981, and is employed as a deputy district attorney with Kern County. He is currently assigned to the White Collar Crime Division.  In addition to being admitted before all California state courts, he is admitted to the United States District Court for the Northern, Eastern and Central Districts of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.  He has also been specially admitted pro hoc vice in the states of Alaska, Hawaii and North Dakota.  He has tried over 100 jury trials to verdict, including both civil and criminal cases. He has an AV Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

$13 per person, Cash/Check/Credit/debit cards accepted/$5 Student Members of ASSP/$5 Emeritus Members of ASSP