Brothers Denied Gun Permit by Sheriff Gates Awarded $246,000

A federal jury on Friday awarded $246,000 to two private investigators who charged that Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates had improperly issued concealed weapon permits to his cronies and political supporters.

The jury’s finding opened up the possibility that Gates might pay at least $500,000 in punitive damages out of his pocket for violating the civil rights of Frank Ritter and his brother Ty, both of Orange County. The $246,000 represents compensatory damages that would be paid by the county.

Its finding that Gates violated the Constitution in acting with reckless disregard was the strongest statement a jury has made in a decade of lawsuits alleging that Gates harassed his political opponents and used a double standard for granting gun permits.

“I feel like David, and Goliath has just fallen to his knees,” Ty Ritter said after the decision in the Pasadena federal courthouse. “There are heads of law enforcement agencies that will hand out badges and other things as tokens of friendship, but Gates gives out gun permits and that makes him a dangerous man.”

A court hearing into Gates’ personal finances and to determine how much he should pay will be held Wednesday. Orange County is liable for the Ritters’ legal bill, which could be as high as $200,000. Settlements and jury awards in other cases against the sheriff total almost $1.2 million. The county has spent $1 million to defend him.

Neither Gates nor his lawyers could be reached for comment.

The Ritters were the remaining plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in June, 1979. The brothers joined the lawsuit in 1981 after they were denied a gun permit for a sixth time. They said they needed them to deal with bodyguard work.

They charged that Gates violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which requires government officials to treat citizens equally when dispensing a benefit to the public.

Armed with the sheriff’s files, the Ritters alleged that Gates gave gun permits to hundreds of political backers and business associates.