LA to pay $11.8M police settlement
- Los Angeles will pay $11.8 million to settle a lawsuit from a man blinded by a police projectile during Dodgers celebrations. - The payment resolves injuries sustained during a 2023 Dodgers street celebration, with the plaintiff losing sight in one eye. - The settlement intensifies scrutiny of LAPD crowd-control policies and renews calls for policing reforms. (independent.co.uk)
A federal jury ordered Los Angeles to pay $11.8 million to Isaac Castellanos, who was blinded in one eye by a police projectile during a Dodgers celebration. (apnews.com) The verdict came on Thursday, April 16, after Castellanos’ civil-rights trial in federal court over what happened early on Oct. 28, 2020, in downtown Los Angeles after the Dodgers won the World Series. Castellanos was 22 and in college when he was struck in the face. (abcnews.go.com) Jurors found Los Angeles Police Department officers Cody MacArthur and Jesse Pineda liable for negligence, excessive force and violating Castellanos’ civil rights. LAist reported the officers fired 37mm less-lethal launchers into the crowd where he was standing. (news.bloomberglaw.com, laist.com) The case turned on weapons police describe as “less-lethal,” meaning they are meant to disperse crowds without using live ammunition. In court, Castellanos said he was peacefully celebrating when a projectile hit his eye and permanently destroyed his vision on that side. (courthousenews.com, apnews.com) Los Angeles argued that its officers were not responsible for the injury and said Castellanos had ignored dispersal orders, according to a joint trial statement cited by Bloomberg Law. The jury rejected that defense in a decision reached after a few hours of deliberation, according to local coverage. (news.bloomberglaw.com, lbpost.com) The award lands as Los Angeles continues to face lawsuits over crowd-control tactics used at protests and street celebrations. LAist said Castellanos’ payout is the largest such settlement or verdict tied to an LAPD projectile injury in at least the past six years. (laist.com) Castellanos’ lawyers said the eye injury also ended his ability to compete at the same level in esports, where depth perception and reaction time matter. He had been a California State University, Long Beach student when he drove to downtown Los Angeles with friends to celebrate the Dodgers title. (lbpost.com, courthousenews.com) The city can still seek post-trial relief or appeal, and one report said Castellanos’ attorneys may ask for higher damages under California law. For now, the jury’s message is that a crowd-control round fired into a championship celebration cost Los Angeles eight figures. (sports.yahoo.com, apnews.com)
