Local News in Brief : Attorney Awarded $29,137; Clients, $2
A federal judge has awarded Los Angeles attorney Stephen Yagman $29,137 in fees after his clients won $2 in a civil rights lawsuit filed against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Under federal law, the fees are to be paid by the county.
Michael and Debra Romberg sued two sheriff’s deputies who entered their La Mirada home in April, 1983, to intervene in a domestic dispute. The deputies, responding to neighbors’ complaints, walked in without permission and arrested the Rombergs for disturbing the peace.
The couple, ultimately convicted of that charge, hired Yagman, who frequently files lawsuits against law enforcement agencies. Yagman asked the jury to award the Rombergs $1 each “to vindicate their rights.”
In his order Monday, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Gadbois Jr. commended Yagman, noting that “his request for one dollar gave the jury a clear opportunity for a Solomonic solution.”
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