Court Reinstates Rapper’s Lawsuit Against Police

A suit by a rap musician and a woman friend who claimed they were roughed up by police who arrested them at a Downey night club was reinstated Monday by a federal appeals court in San Francisco.

Jeffrey Page, who records under the name “General Jeff,” and Tammie Klien filed the suit over a May, 1988, incident. They said that officers falsely arrested them, roughed them up and made a racial comment to Klien, who is white. The couple was charged with obstructing and resisting police after the incident, but the charges were dropped after a jury deadlocked.

Their suit against the city and individual police had been dismissed by Chief U.S. District Judge Manuel Real, who ruled that no evidence had been offered that would support a finding of false arrest or excessive force. Page and Klien’s version of events contrasted sharply with the officers’ account, presenting a factual dispute that must be resolved by a jury, the court said in a 3-0 ruling.