Child’s attorney: San Joaquin County lawyers ‘playing games’ to stall abuse lawsuit

It’s been more than a year since a civil lawsuit was filed against San Joaquin County on behalf of Sebastian Hernandez — who as an infant was nearly beaten to death by his father — but attorneys hired by the county have yet to answer the complaint.

On July 1, 2025, the child’s court-appointed guardian brought the suit against the county for its alleged failure to conduct mandatory welfare duties that could have prevented the abuse. Since then, the case has remained in the pleading stage, where the county has challenged the sufficiency of the claims without answering them, and the child’s attorneys have revised their complaint three times.