Brentwood Surgeon Loses Policy Brutality Lawsuit

LOS ANGELES, CA — A jury Thursday rejected a lawsuit brought against the city of Los Angeles by a chest surgeon who alleged he was a victim of excessive force by police officers in 2014 and suffered a career-ending injury.

A Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated for about an hour before reaching its verdict in favor of the city and against Dr. Michael Richman.

Addressing the panel during final arguments Wednesday, Richman's lawyer, Dale Galipo, said Richman, now 53, seriously hurt his left wrist trying to break his fall in the early morning of Aug. 26, 2014, preventing him from ever performing surgery again. Richman also maintained that he was roughly handcuffed.

Galipo said the officers went to Richman's home after the doctor's ex- girlfriend made a 911 call and falsely told the LAPD the surgeon was thinking of suicide.

Galipo said comedian Bob Saget, an independent witness, said he also saw police bringing Richman to the ground, although the attorney acknowledged that Saget said the takedown of his neighbor was not violent.

Deputy City Attorney Geoffrey Plowden argued that officers patiently waited nearly two hours before the doctor complied with demands to come out of his residence. He said Richman was never taken to the ground and that his only complaint to officers was that his handcuffs were too tight, prompting them to replace the metal cuffs with a plastic version.

LAPD officers testified they directed Richman to come out of the house and that he left and went back inside twice before coming out for good the third and final time.

Galipo said that in addition to nearly $6 million in lost wages, Richman was entitled to damages for his emotional distress. Richman has tried to move on with his life by going back to school and training for life without surgery, his attorney said.

City News Service