On May 12, 2017, plaintiffs’ decedent Branch Wroth, 41, was perceived to be acting strangely at the Budget Inn, in Rohnert Park, causing the motel’s staff to call Rohnert Park public safety officers to check on his welfare. Upon their arrival, the officers observed Wroth acting strangely and believed that he was under the influence of drugs. Wroth told them that he had been poisoned with chemicals, but he was unable to articulate how or who had poisoned him. The officers determined that they had a warrant for Wroth’s arrest, and attempted to handcuff him. During the ensuing struggle, Wroth was held face down on the floor of the motel room and died at the scene. A toxicology test determined that Wroth was positive for marijuana and that Wroth had elevated levels of methamphetamine in his system at the time of the incident. An independent, contracted pathologist for the Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office ruled that Wroth died as a result of cardiopulmonary arrest immediately after struggling. The decedent’s parents, Christopher Wroth and Marni Wroth, sued the officers at the scene, David Sittig-Wattson, Sean Huot, Eric Matzen, Matt Huot and Mike Werle. They also sued the officers’ employer, the city of Rohnert Park. While the County of Sonoma Sheriff’s Department was listed as a defendant on the docket, it was not actually a defendant in the case. In addition, the officers moved for summary judgment, alleging that they should be granted qualified immunity. Their motions were granted, and the officers were let out of the case. Thus, the matter only continued against the city in regard to the Wroth family’s claims that the city inadequately trained the officers and ratified the officer’s actions in violation of 42 USC § 1983 and the First and/or Fourteenth Amendments. Plaintiffs’ counsel contended that Wroth died as a result of being forced on the ground and not being able to breathe. As a result, counsel asserted that the officers were not trained properly on positional asphyxiation. Defense counsel noted that the Sonoma County District Attorney’s review of Wroth’s death cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing. Counsel also noted that the district attorney found that the officer who first responded used “the least amount of force possible at each stage” and “delayed physical contact until it was absolutely necessary.”, Branch Wroth suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest and died at the scene. His parents claimed that the cardiopulmonary arrest was caused by positional asphyxiation. Wroth was 41 years old. He was survived by his father, Christopher Wroth, and his mother, Marni Wroth. The decedent’s parents sought recovery of damages for their loss of society as a result of their son’s death.