"A jury awarded the Loggervale family $8.25 million for their unlawful detention four years later, but the county's attorney for the case, Kevin Gilbert, made a motion for a new trial, claiming senior U.S. district judge William Alsup had advocated for the plaintiffs, permitted incorrect statements on the record, and that the "totality of circumstances in the case is troubling and problematic.""
""I wish I could believe you. When I go through the list, you'll see why I don't trust almost anything you say," Alsup said in a back-and-forth with Gilbert. The following appeal cost the county and its taxpayers an additional $3 million for a total settlement of $11.26 million. According to the Loggervales' lawyer, Joseph May, the initial settlement offer was approximately $750,000."
Alameda County's aggressive legal approach has produced prolonged, costly courtroom battles that increased attorneys' fees and produced multimillion-dollar settlements paid by taxpayers. Numerous plaintiffs' lawyers cite repeated instances where cases that could have settled quickly instead became years-long disputes. In one case, deputies detained a mother and her two daughters who had fallen asleep in their car; a jury later awarded $8.25 million for unlawful detention. County lawyers sought a new trial and pursued an appeal, adding roughly $3 million to the final settlement. Initial offers were often far lower than eventual payouts.
Read at The Mercury News
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