Family Settles Suit Over Death of Arrested Man : Award: They accept $1.75 million--a little more than half the amount set by a jury--to avoid appeals by county. The arrestee died after deputy broke his neck.

The family of a man who died after his neck was broken while he was in the custody of sheriff’s deputies has settled a lawsuit against the county for $1.75 million, less than the amount a jury awarded in the case two weeks ago, lawyers announced Tuesday.

The settlement--$1.41 million less than the jury award--was accepted to avoid a lengthy appeals process, said a lawyer representing children of Otis Robinson Sr., who died in 1985 at the age of 62. Attorney Johnnie Cochran noted that the settlement is more than double what the family once told a judge it would accept.

“It could have dragged on another two or three years with appeals,” Cochran said. “My clients felt vindicated and were glad to have it over with.”

Phil Miller, a lawyer for the county, said the settlement was “very advantageous” for his client because the jury award could have withstood challenge and the county could have faced $500,000 in additional attorneys fees as well.

The settlement was possible because the judge in the case had not formally accepted the jury award, Miller said. Cochran represented seven of the sons and daughters of Robinson, who died June 10, 1985, two days after Los Angeles police arrested him on charges of drunk driving near his home in South Los Angeles.

When he was arrested, police discovered that Robinson had a pacemaker and was taking a prescription tranquilizer. They took him to County-USC Medical Center and turned him over to sheriff’s deputies.

Robinson’s neck was broken by a deputy as he lay restrained on a gurney at the hospital. The deputies contended during testimony that Robinson had been resisting the officers as they changed his restraints.

Robinson was taken to a drunk tank at Men’s Central Jail and spent five hours “lying on his face” without medical attention, according to Cochran. He was eventually taken back to the hospital, where he died. While he was dying, a paralyzed Robinson told his family that he had been severely mistreated by deputies, said Cochran.

He added that the family has reached a settlement in a separate suit against the city of Los Angeles, but said he would not discuss the amount because it had not been approved by the City Council. The family sued the city because Los Angeles police officers transported Robinson to County-USC and from the hospital to the County Jail, Cochran said.