"The county spent $229 million on legal payouts and lawyer bills last fiscal year. Nearly half of that money - $112 million - went to defend the Sheriff's Department against lawsuits, a 12% uptick from the year before. The county spent nearly $90 million on outside law firms, accounting for more than a third of its total legal spending."
"Of the eight costliest settlements involving the county, six involved the Sheriff's Department. These included a $7-million payout for a shooting in a parking garage that left a man paralyzed, $17.2 million for a car crash that involved a deputy driving twice the posted speed limit, and a $25-million settlement that went to an autistic man who was shot in his home."
"According to video of the incident released by the department, the deputies went into the house where Cervantes was seated on the couch. After they tried to handcuff him, a struggle ensued and one deputy said Cervantes tried to grab his gun. The other deputy shot Cervantes, leaving him permanently paralyzed."
Los Angeles County spent $229 million on legal payouts and lawyer bills in the fiscal year, with about $112 million used to defend the Sheriff's Department. Legal costs for the department rose 12% from the prior year and exceeded those of any other county agency. Nearly $90 million went to outside law firms, more than a third of total legal spending. Six of the eight largest county settlements involved the Sheriff's Department, including payouts for a parking-garage shooting that paralyzed a man, a high-speed deputy crash, and a $25-million shooting of an autistic man that left Isaias Cervantes permanently paralyzed.
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