LOS ANGELES : City Won’t Appeal Award of $378,000 to Attorneys

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has decided not to appeal a $378,175 award of fees to a team of attorneys who were successful earlier this year in a police brutality suit against former Chief Daryl F. Gates and nine officers.

Payment of the award must still be approved by the City Council, the city attorney’s office said.

After a three-month trial, a U.S. District Court jury found the officers liable for using excessive force in a shootout at a Sunland McDonald’s that left three robbers dead and a fourth injured two years ago. Gates was included on the grounds that his leadership fostered their actions.

U.S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts set the fees for the three-attorney team headed by Stephen Yagman at $378,175 last week. Yagman had asked for nearly $1 million.