LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Coach Defamation
Pasadena, CA: (Dec-27-07) Patrick Gillan brought charges against the city of San Marino and its police department, alleging that he was falsely arrested based on a claim that had several incorrect and misleading statements. The suit claimed that in December 2001, San Marino Police Lt. Christopher Petersen and Sgt. Eugene Street arrested Gillan, who was then the coach of the San Marino High School girls' varsity basketball team, for an alleged sexual assault on a former player. He was later released, with no charges filed. The next day the city held a press conference announcing the arrest and insinuating that there were multiple victims. Records show that on Jan. 20, 2005, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge found there to be no probable cause for the arrest, and a jury determined that Petersen and Street defamed Gillan at the press conference.
Based on both violations, the jury awarded almost $4.5 million in compensatory damages and, after finding that Petersen and Street acted maliciously, assessed another $17,500 in punitive damages against them personally. The verdict was appealed. As part of a recent development in the case, sources confirmed that rather than retry the issue, the two sides agreed to a $2.1 million compromise. [PASADENA STAR NEWS: COACH DEFAMATION]
Published on Dec-31-07
Based on both violations, the jury awarded almost $4.5 million in compensatory damages and, after finding that Petersen and Street acted maliciously, assessed another $17,500 in punitive damages against them personally. The verdict was appealed. As part of a recent development in the case, sources confirmed that rather than retry the issue, the two sides agreed to a $2.1 million compromise. [
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