Keith Krause v. County of Los Angeles
Published: Sep. 24, 1994 | Result Date: Jun. 3, 1994 | Filing Date: Jan. 1, 1900 |Case number: SWC107534 – $129,000
Court
L.A. Superior Central West
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Wilmer J. Harris
(Schonbrun Seplow Harris Hoffman & Zeldes)
Carl E. Douglas
(Douglas Hicks Law APC)
Winston K. McKesson
(Law Offices of Winston Kevin McKesson)
Defendant
Experts
Plaintiff
John G. Peters Jr.
(technical)
Clyde T. Arnold
(medical)
Defendant
Kendall S. Wagner M.D.
(medical)
Joseph J. Callanan Jr.
(technical)
Facts
On July 2, 1988, Plaintiff Keith Krause's estranged wife was attempting to retrieve divorce documents from the marital home. Krause's wife was accompanied by Defendant County of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs Richard Campbell and Gregg Lewison. Plaintiff, a 34-year-old engineer, claimed they had no right to enter because he had a deed establishing his ownership and the deputies had no search warrant. Krause therefore refused his wife and Defendants entry; Defendants allegedly tried to arrest Plaintiff. When Plaintiff tried to enter the home, Defendants swarmed him and an altercation ensued. Krause was later acquitted of charges of resisting arrest and battery on peace officers. The County of Los Angeles as well as Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs Bruce Harris and Rod Kubly were named as Defendants.
Settlement Discussions
Defendants contend that they offered $100,000 and Plaintiff demanded $750,000.
Specials in Evidence
$4,700 (per Defendants) $1,200 (per Plaintiff) $18,875 (per Defendants) $62,000 (per Plaintiff) none none
Injuries
Broken nose; lacerations and contusions to legs and face requiring emergency room care and some physical therapy.
Result
The jury awarded Defense verdicts for deputy sheriffs Bruce Harris, Rod Kubly, and Gregg Lewison.
Other Information
The jury rendered a verdict for $129,000 reduced by the Court to $51,600 net to Plaintiff; the Court then granted Plaintiff's motion reinstating the full jury award.
Deliberation
2 days
Poll
varied
Length
2 weeks
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