NEWBURY PARK : Jury Rejects Inmate’s Claim Against Jailer

A man who claimed he suffered injuries and psychological damage in Ventura County Jail three years ago lost a civil suit against a jailer he alleged overheard threats against him before a beating, officials said Tuesday.

A Superior Court jury took 20 minutes to unanimously reject a claim for $70,000 in damages by Joshua Farrant, 32, who was serving a 45-day sentence for misdemeanor burglary charges in 1990, said Ventura attorney Brian Keighron. Keighron was representing sheriff’s service technician Linda Jochim.

“I was very, very pleased,” Keighron said. “The fact that they came back so quickly would indicate that they did not believe the plaintiff’s case.”

The Newbury Park man contended in his suit that Jochim overheard threats against Farrant shortly before he was assaulted by another inmate and did nothing about it. He suffered a fractured cheekbone and other injuries as a result of the attack, the suit claimed.

“Although she saw one of the inmates say something to him, she did not hear a threat and was not on notice of any danger to (Farrant),” Keighron said of his client. “He alleged that she overheard a threat and did not put him in protective custody.”

The county of Ventura originally was named as a co-defendant in the suit but was excluded by a government-immunity code before trial, Keighron said.

The three-day trial in Judge John J. Hunter’s courtroom concluded Monday. Farrant’s attorney, Hoyle Kiger of Thousand Oaks, was not available for comment.