Lang v. Gates

36 F.3d 73 29 Fed.R.Serv.3d 789 Cheri LANG; Henry Lang; Lillian D'Antignac, Plaintiffs, and Yagman & Yagman, P.C., Real-Party-in-Interest-Appellant, v. Daryl F. GATES, Chief of Police; Reva Tooley; Robert Talcott; Herbert F. Boeckmann, II, Defendants-Appellees. No. 93-55185. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted August 1, 1994. Decided Sept. 19, 1994. Stephen Yagman, Yagman & Yagman, Venice, CA, for real-party-in-interest-appellant. Lisa S. Berger, Deputy City Atty., Los Angeles, CA, for defendants-appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Before O'SCANNLAIN and T.G. NELSON, Circuit Judges; MERHIGE, * District Judge. O'SCANNLAIN, Circuit Judge: 1 We must decide whether a plaintiff who first rejects a settlement offer may recover postoffer attorney's fees when he later accepts the same offer. 2 * In August 1988, Los Angeles police conducted a raid of Cheri and Henry Lang's South Central Los Angeles home. In response, the Langs filed suit against Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, the City of Los Angeles, and various individual Los Angeles police officers, city officials, and government…