Facts

On Sept. 21, 2005, Sacramento County's sheriff's deputies entered the Antelope residence of Alexandr and Lyudmila Kolesnikov. The deputies entered the upstairs bathroom and confronted Sergey Kolesnikov, age 18, and brought him outside. 13 plaintiffs filed suit against Sacramento County, the county sheriff's department, and the state of California for excessive force by peace officers.

PLAINTIFFS' CONTENTIONS:
In addition to Alexandr, Lyudmila, Sergey, and an adult named Nikolay Kolesnikov, nine minor plaintiffs witnessed the altercation between Sergey and the deputies. The deputies had entered the residence without permission with their guns drawn. Sergey was stepping out of the shower when he was wrestled by the deputies to the floor. He was tasered and arrested and pulled down the stairs, where the deputies threw him against a wall. Sergey left a trail of blood. When the deputies brought Sergey outside, he was naked and before a crowd of onlookers. The deputies also beat another teenage family member.

DEFENDANTS' CONTENTIONS:
One of the minor plaintiffs was riding a go-cart outside the residence without a helmet and was evading them. Deputies went to the residence to issue the go-cart driver a citation for a misdemeanor Vehicle Code violation.

Result

The parties settled for $200,000: $75,000 from State of California, and $125,000 from the Sacramento County. The $200,000 was awarded thus: $100,000 to the four adult plaintiffs, less 40 percent for attorney fees, and $100,000 divided equally among the nine plaintiffs, eight of whom are still minors.

Other Information

FILING DATE: Sept. 28, 2006.