LA Settles Sheriff’s Department Misconduct Claims for $47.6 Million
Los Angeles County will fork over nearly $50 million to settle four lawsuits and a legal claim arising from alleged misconduct by LA County sheriff’s officials.
The settlements, which total $47.6 million, have been approved by the Board of Supervisors in the following cases:
- Timothy Neal — paralyzed after he was shot by a deputy in the back in 2019 ($16.5 million)
- Eric Esteban Briceno — killed in 2020 during an altercation with four deputies ($16.25 million)
- Andres Guardado — shot and killed by a deputy in 2020 ($8 million)
- Pedro Lopez — shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in 2022 ($5 million)
- Rufino Paredes — died by suicide in LASD custody in 2018 ($1.9 million)
You can read more about each of the cases here.
“This is what a mindblowing lack of accountability looks like,” said ACLU attorney Andres Kwon. “The financial cost is extraordinary, yet it pales in comparison with the human cost.”
But in a statement to LAist, the sheriff’s department took no responsibility
"When the Board of Supervisors directs County Counsel to do a matador defense on LASD lawsuits, this is what happens,” it said in a statement.
Alleged misconduct by sheriff’s deputies has featured prominently in the race in for county sheriff. Alex Villanueva faces a re-election challenge from retired Long Beach police chief Robert Luna on Nov. 8.
