Labor/Employment
Jun. 20, 2002
Judge Awards Officers $60 Million in Back Pay
LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles Superior Court judge tentatively ruled Tuesday that county police officers are entitled to $60 million in back pay as a result of a race discrimination suit they won against the county, according to an attorney for the county.
Judge Victor Chavez also said that the county will have to adjust the pay of county officers to make salaries comparable to those of the now higher-paid county sheriffs and give county officers certain retirement benefits not now available to them, said defense attorney Calvin House, who represents the county.
While the details of those adjustments have yet to be finalized, they will result in millions more for sworn county peace officers, House said.
Chavez's tentative ruling on damages will not be made final until sometime after a July 18 hearing, House added. The ruling comes after a jury unanimously found that Los Angeles County has discriminated against county officers, 70 percent of whom are minorities. Frank v. County of Los Angeles, BC198771 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Oct. 8, 1998).
The county police force, which numbers 500, patrols county hospitals, clinics, social service facilities and parks.
Plaintiffs' attorneys from the firm of O'Donnell & Harrison decided to withhold comment until a news conference today, a firm representative said.
House of Gutierrez, Preciado & House in Pasadena said that the terms of the final judgment remain fuzzy but that he will be appealing.
"My feeling is they brought a race discrimination case, and as far as we're concerned, what they proved is that county officers are treated differently than sheriffs, not that blacks are treated differently than whites," he said.
Erin Carroll
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