Sheppard

BACKGROUND

This action arises out of an encounter between plaintiff and members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. In March 2014, plaintiff, a private investigator, was parked on a street in Montrose on a stakeout. Defendant Plunkett, a deputy sheriff, noticed plaintiff’s vehicle and approached it on foot with his gun drawn. Plaintiff opened the window and the men spoke. The situation quickly escalated to the point that Deputy Plunkett aimed his gun at plaintiff’s head, and left it trained there until later- arriving deputies intervened. Plaintiff was ordered out of his vehicle, handcuffed, frisked, and briefly detained in a sheriff’s vehicle while deputies searched his vehicle. The deputies cited plaintiff for Vehicle Code offenses relating to improperly displayed license plates and window tint on his vehicle and allowed him to leave. All cited offenses were later dismissed. After filing a Government Code section 910 claim for tort damages, which the County denied, plaintiff then filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleging federal and state law claims. The district court case proceeded to trial. At a…