Monroe

This is an appeal by Warren S. Garrett, Adele M. Gomez and Arthur J. Fitzgerald, members of the 1968 Los Angeles County Grand Jury, from a summary judgment in favor of plaintiff requiring defendants to reimburse the County of Los Angeles in the sum of six cents, and from an order denying defendants’ motion for summary judgment.

Plaintiff brought the action as a taxpayer and representative of all taxpayers in Los Angeles County for a reimbursement by the grand jury for the amounts spent by it in making certain recommendations in its report and in a press release. It is alleged that these expenditures were beyond the authority of defendants as grand jurors.

The only parts of the lengthy report and press release that were challenged were the grand jury’s recommendations that:

The 1968 grand jury made the above recommendations after inquiring into three criminal cases involving large numbers of public offenses committed on college and high school campuses. These three criminal cases had been brought before the grand jury by the district attorney. Following hearings on these cases the grand jury returned indictments; trial was had, and numerous defendants were found guilty…