LAPD Payouts in Claims Drop Again

Taxpayers shelled out almost $9 million in claims and lawsuits against the Los Angeles Police Department last year, but that amount represents the second year in a row that payouts have declined, the city attorney’s office said Tuesday.

The 1994 total of $8,786,434, despite including the $3.8-million judgment in the Rodney G. King civil rights case, marked a 20% decline from 1993, City Atty. James K. Hahn said.

Last year’s payouts are the lowest since 1989, Hahn noted. He credited his office’s Police Litigation Unit, formed in October, 1992, the year that payouts in claims against the police peaked at nearly $20 million.

Hahn said Los Angeles and other cities nationwide were buffeted by a “litigation explosion” that reached its high point early in the 1990s with record claims and lawsuits against several municipal departments.

In a related development Tuesday, the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee recommended a $245,000 settlement for Olympic medalist Al Joyner, who sued after a 1992 traffic stop in which he was ordered at gunpoint from a car that officers mistakenly believed to be stolen.

CLAIMS LAWSUITS COURT PRETRIAL TOTAL YEAR FILED FILED AWARDS SETTLEMENTS SETTLEMENTS 1980 646 246 $184,762 $706,640 $891,402 1981 751 220 191,380 225,250 416,630 1982 692 252 1,827,954 824,510 2,652,455 1983 911 238 3,689,809 824,380 4,514,189 1984 986 313 230,161 1,855,803 2,085,964 1985 1,152 334 1,039,427 1,009,660 2,049,087 1986 1,041 367 2,578,380 1,722,128 4,300,508 1987 840 298 191,982 2,295,750 2,487,732 1988 851 273 338,687 2,045,029 2,383,716 1989 766 235 3,388,447 2,993,613 6,382,060 1990 672 212 3,118,322 5,971,354 9,089,676 1991 848 276 8,794,941 5,863,134 14,658,075 1992 585 226 11,334,009 8,346,568 19,680,577 1993 726 246 1,415,551 9,298,484 10,714,035 1994 514 149 5,772,733 3,013,701 8,786,434

Traffic accident cases involving police vehicles not included.

Source: Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office