California IN BRIEF : ORANGE COUNTY : State Court Affirms Award to Officer

A state appellate court has upheld a $46,000 award against a former American Civil Liberties Union attorney who tried to eject a Newport Beach police officer from a public debate on police abuse. Three judges of the 4th District Court of Appeal affirmed the 1987 verdict of an Orange County Superior Court jury, which decided in favor of Officer Richard T. Long and against attorney Rees Lloyd. “It’s preposterous. First Amendment rights were just trampled on by the court,” said Hugh R. Manes, Lloyd’s attorney. But Long’s lawyer, Jeffrey M. Epstein, said the decision affords protection to government employees who suffer a violation of their civil rights while on duty. Long, a police community relations officer, secretly tape-recorded a 1980 ACLU meeting and took notes on what was said. Lloyd demanded that Long identify himself and asked him to step outside, threatening to slap him when he hesitated. Long contended that his treatment amounted to discrimination based on his occupation and that he was publicly humiliated.