LOS ANGELES : Judge Orders City Council to Reveal Key Deliberations
A judge ordered the Los Angeles City Council on Monday to reveal the 1992 discussions that led up to its vote to pay punitive damages levied against ex-Police Chief Daryl Gates and nine officers.
U.S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts said the deliberations will be kept from the public, but need to be disclosed before he can rule on whether council members are responsible for fostering a policy of police brutality.
The case stems from a shootout involving members of the LAPD’s Special Investigations Section. Three suspected robbers were killed and a fourth was wounded after the Feb. 12, 1990, holdup at a McDonald’s restaurant in Sunland.
The first phase of the trial will determine if 4-year-old Johanna Trevino, whose father was among the robbers shot dead, should receive damages from the city and the officers.
The second will deal with the council’s April 22, 1992, vote to pay about $44,000 in punitive damages levied against Gates and the officers. Lawyers for the city contend the council members do not need to reveal what they said during closed sessions.
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