San Bernardino County Settles Brutality Lawsuit

San Bernardino County officials have agreed to pay $745,000 to settle a brutality lawsuit filed by five Mexican men who alleged they were beaten by sheriff’s deputies at a 1988 party in Victorville.

A jury had awarded $956,000 in January, after a trial in U.S. District Court in Los Angehes. Judge A. Wallace Tashima, however, ruled that the damage award was excessive, and reduced the amount to $410,000.

By reaching an out-of-court settlement, the county has ended the litigation and will avoid paying the victims’ legal fees, said County Counsel Alan Marks.

The civil rights lawsuit stemmed from a confrontation involving San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies responding to complaints about a noisy all-night party at a Victorville home in June, 1988.

A neighbor’s videotape showed deputies swinging their fists and using batons to subdue several men. The tape became a key piece of evidence in the case.

“I think it’s a good settlement, considering all the factors,” Marks said Tuesday. “Not too long ago they were demanding $3 million.”

The victims’ lawyer, Carlos Juarez of San Bernardino, described the agreement as “fair and just compensation.”

Juarez said the five men, all Mexican nationals, agreed to pay their legal fees from the $745,000 award, and would share the balance. Two of the men, who were awarded nothing by the jury, would benefit in the agreement, but Juarez would disclose no further details.