Police Dog Bites Police Man and Beats the Rap
A Los Alamitos police officer who was mistakenly bitten by a CHP officer’s dog during an arrest may not sue the CHP for damages, an appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The 4th District Court of Appeals in Santa Ana ruled that long-standing California law prevents police officers from obtaining damages when they are injured in the line of duty due to another person’s negligence.
The “firefighter rule” is intended to restrict lawsuits by police, fire and other emergency workers because their jobs are inherently dangerous and because they receive disability benefits for such injuries.
Officer Ronald Faram had his gun pointed at a suspect when the CHP dog broke free from his handler and attacked him. An Orange County Superior Court judge had previously dismissed the lawsuit, citing the same law.
In a similar case, the state Supreme Court in 1998 overturned a $440,000 damage award that a Pasadena police officer won after a CHP officer mistakenly shot him during an arrest.
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