Sometimes referred to as the "Pearl of the South Bay", Manhattan Beach boasts some of the most inviting beaches and night life in Southern California.  High home prices and net incomes allow the city to afford a large police force that aggressively patrols the beach and pier areas and stopping vehicles and pedestrians who may have been drinking at one of the many bars and nightclubs.  With aggressive enforcement of the law sometimes comes constitutional rights violations,  unlawful stops and wrongful arrests. 

Attorney Matthew J. Ruff has personally handled hundreds of criminal cases originating from Manhattan Beach.  A lawyer with over a decade and a half of experience, he has seen and defended virtually all types of criminal matters ranging from simple traffic violations all the way to murder.  The most common kinds of cases in the Manhattan Beach area are: DUI, drunk driving, public intoxication, petty theft and shoplifting, assault and battery arising from bar fights, domestic violence, hit and run cases involving alcohol and drugs, possession of narcotics, drug sales and distribution, among many others.

All Manhattan Beach criminal cases are referred to the Los Angeles District Attorney for prosecution.  Misdemeanor charges are heard in Department 2 of the South Bay Court in Torrance where as of 2010 the Honorable Judge Rice presides.  Felony cases are sent to Division 4 for the initial appearance if the client is not in jail at the time of the arraignment, the Judge in that Courtroom is the Honorable Thomas Sokolov.  Attorney Matthew Ruff appears in both of these courtrooms on nearly a daily basis given his proximity to the Court and the fact that all he does is criminal defense.

Given the fact that the city gets many tourists and visitors who reside out of the area and sometimes out of state, it is not uncommon to see warrants being issued for a failure to appear in Court.  These bench warrant matters can be resolved with the help of a local attorney.  Over the last fifteen years Matthew Ruff has recalled warrants for many out of state clients on old cases that are holding up a job or preventing the issuance of a drivers license.  In fact in one recent case the lawyer was hired by a client to clear an old Manhattan Beach arrest warrant for a felony DUI with injury charge.  Mr. Ruff filed a motion to dismiss the case based on a violation of the client's speedy trial rights, the Judge hearing the case agreed and all charges were dropped.  Surprisingly, in most cases the lawyer can go to Court without the client, thereby avoiding costly travel and anxiety.

Because he is a local Manhattan Beach criminal attorney, Matthew Ruff has a distinct advantage over other lawyers not familiar with the local customs and practices.  Moreover, being in Court every day gives him the benefit of knowing the Judges and particular prosecutors who will be handling his client's cases.  In addition, criminal defense is all he does and he does it very well.  Indeed, what sets the attorney apart from other Manhattan Beach DUI and criminal defense lawyers is his tenacity and passionate defense of his clients.  When he is retained to represent a client he leaves no stone unturned in order to achieve the best possible result. 

A good example of this is a case involving a client facing his third DUI and looking at mandatory jail and license revocation.  As is typical in his vigorous defense, Mr. Ruff scrutinized the police officer's procedures in the administration of the Breathalyzer and in doing so uncovered a substantial violation of state mandated regulations which resulted in a set aside of the DMV license suspension and a favorable outcome in the criminal portion of the case. 

In another case, Matthew was hired to defend a client arrested in Manhattan Beach outside a local bar.  The client was sitting inside his car passed out with the music blaring.  The police showed up and arrested him for DUI, his blood alcohol level was well above a .20% and he had priors for drunk driving. The district attorney argued that their was substantial evidence to convict but Mr. Ruff disagreed and fought the case.  After several Court hearings the DA relented and dismissed all charges.

In yet another recent case, Matthew's client was arrested at a Manhattan Beach DUI checkpoint while heading home from a local restaurant.  After smelling the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, the client was asked to exit his car and perform field sobriety tests which, according to the officer were "unsatisfactory".  A breath test revealed his BAC to be a .09% and his license was confiscated and he was arrested.  Immediately upon his release he retained attorney Matthew Ruff who arranged for a DMV hearing to challenge the arrest and suspension of the client's drivers license.  Matthew and his blood alcohol expert showed that the breath test was wrong and persuaded the DMV to set aside the DUI license suspension at the DMV hearing on April 19, 2010.

If a friend or family member is is need of a criminal law firm in the Manhattan Beach area or have a criminal case pending in the South Bay Torrance Court, call Matthew for a no obligation discreet conversation about the case.  He can be reached directly at 310-527-4100.

With well over fifteen years of local experience and more than 2000 criminal cases under his belt, attorney Matthew Ruff has the skill and the guts to fight for you in Court and get the best result.