U.S. Judge Rejects Landau’s Lawsuit Against Megan’s Law Notification

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit from convicted child molester Sid Landau, who had claimed his rights were violated when Placentia police used Megan’s Law to notify neighbors of his sex crime record, city officials said.

U.S. District Judge Alicemarie Stotler ruled that Landau’s case failed to back up his assertion that the city and Police Department acted improperly. Landau’s attorney, T. Matthew Phillips, was given 30 days to amend the complaint. He plans to refile.

City officials were not quite ready to celebrate.

“We cannot comment on the suit itself but we are preliminarily pleased with the court’s decision,” said Placentia Police Det. Corinne Loomis. “We will wait to see what happens in 30 days.”

Landau, 59, was convicted in 1988 of three counts of molesting boys younger than 14 and sentenced to 17 years in prison. He was released on parole in Placentia after serving eight years.

Police notified neighbors under provisions in Megan’s Law, which attempts to protect children from sex offenders. When those neighbor’s protested his presence, Landau challenged Megan’s Law in court on grounds that he was being punished a second time for the same crime.

The city denies it acted improperly.

“The city of Placentia and the Police Department believes that at the time we were acting within the law written by the Legislature and signed by the governor,” Loomis said. “We believe we executed the law in an appropriate matter.”