Partner Jim Wagstaffe has been retained to represent Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Eric Swalwell in a defamation case against Rep. Pete Stark. The congressman made unsubstantiated charges of bribery against the District Attorney, stating that Mr. Swalwell accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from a prominent local real estate development family to buy his votes for zoning issues. He demanded that Rep. Stark apologize and retract his statement, but after no response, hired Kerr & Wagstaffe to demand an apology and prepare for possible legal action.