Los Angeles: A Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated for two days and awarded two LAPD officers $3.99 million dollars for a lawsuit stemming from an officer-involved shooting death that occurred in 2010.
The lawsuit, according to the officers, alleged that the Department racially discriminated and retaliated against them by restricting them from field duty after the LAPD Police Commission determined that the officers use of lethal force and tactics were out of policy in the shooting death of an unarmed, autistic man.
The officers were restricted from field duty immediately after the shooting death occurred. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, who testified during the trial, stated that race played no role in his decision to restrict them from field duties either before or after the Police Commission's determination. Instead, he testified that it was necessary to assign them to other non-field related positions to protect the City from additional liability and protect the public from a similar tragedy in the future. In response, both officers claimed retaliation and discriminatory actions that resulted in the jury awarding the multi-million dollar finding.
The Department is working closely with the Los Angeles City Attorney's office to determine appropriate next steps.
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This ruling is a terrible precedent. Why so much money?
Posted by: Donald Bryden | March 21, 2025 at 09:36 PM
Donal Bryden asked "why so much money?" Juries usually try to send a message with their verdicts. In the LAPD case, it doesn't work, since the city writes the check and the guilty command officer gets promoted. Exactly the opposite of private industry. At LAPD, the arrogance of command officers to do as they please against the rank and file, even after being warned they're violating the law, results in big jury verdicts and promotions for the culprits. Go figure.
Posted by: bwop | March 23, 2025 at 07:27 PM