Key Aspects of Verdict in Rights Case Reversed
Several key aspects of a jury decision that the Los Angeles Police Department violated an officer’s rights were reversed Tuesday--a decision that could significantly reduce the $1.5-million award the officer was given in 1988, attorneys said.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a federal court jury’s decision that Sgt. Roger M. Gibson was entitled to a meeting with Police Chief Daryl F. Gates before he was fired on charges of insubordination and making false statements to investigators.
The court also set aside damages awarded to the sergeant, saying that the evidence did not prove an allegation against him was false.
A jury awarded $2.9 million to Gibson in 1988 after determining that police had violated his rights during their investigation of his alleged role in a 1982 burglary and sex scandal in the Hollywood Division. The award was later reduced.
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