Confidential
Settlement – $50,000Judge
Court
L.A. Superior Central
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Greg W. Garrotto
(Law Offices of Greg W. Garrotto)
Defendant
Raymond J. Fuentes
(Fuentes & McNally LLP)
Experts
Plaintiff
Morris Claman
(medical)
Defendant
Stanley A. Brosman
(medical)
Facts
In January 2000, the plaintiff was an inmate in the Los Angeles Central County Jail Reception Center. While he
was going through the initial processing and walking toward the shower area, he was struck in the groin by a
clothing roll weighing about 4-5 pounds. The plaintiff was nude and was the first man in a line of new inmates
at the time and had just turned a corner so the impact was unexpected and he was unable to guard himself. He
was knocked down and was in severe pain for some time after the incident. The roll had been thrown "football
style" by a deputy sheriff.
The evidence obtained during the discovery process indicated that this was a "game" played by custodial
deputies in the shower area wherein deputies would try to knock down new inmates by throwing the rolls. The
evidence also indicated that the practice was known by the supervisorial staff at the facility and that there had
never been any formal action to stop it.
Settlement Discussions
There was an initial court ordered mediation session where the parties were not successful in settling the case. Subsequently, the parties had a private mediation before the Honorable Maurice Hogan, and the case was resolved. The case was filed in August 2000 and resolved in December 2001.
Injuries
The plaintiff suffered a groin injury and emotional distress. There were no medical special damages in evidence as the plaintiff had received treatment for the condition while he was in the jail facility.
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