A federal court jury found in favor of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Friday in a case involving alleged wrongdoing in Rancho Palos Verdes by sheriff's deputies from the Lomita Sheriff's Station.
The lawsuit alleged that three deputies and two sergeants unreasonably attempted to detain a hit-and-run suspect, and unreasonably searched his room on October 2, 2010.
The Sheriff's Department asserted that the suspect physically resisted and spit in the face of a sergeant, thus resulting in a reasonable use of force, including taking the suspect to the ground and the use of pepper spray. He suffered minor injuries. Also, that a search that resulted in the recovery of marijuana was lawful.
During testimony, the plaintiff admitted he lied to deputies at the scene, lied to a sergeant during the use of force investigation, and lied to county attorneys while under oath during his deposition.
After two hours of deliberation, the federal civil jury returned a unanimous verdict of no liability on the part of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
In his closing remarks, the Honorable Judge Otero commended the sheriff's deputies for their restraint during the use of force and said he would entertain a motion from the Sheriff's Department to recover fees from the plaintiff
Case # CV12-10578 SJO (AJWx), Steven Sartori v. County of Los Angeles, ET AL. : The federal court jury returned a verdict for the defense on Friday, March 7, 2014. The law firm representing the County of Los Angeles was Ivie, McNeill, and Wyatt - Rickie Ivie lead counsel.
Captain Mike Parker
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