Hurt by LAPD officers? How an LAPD excessive force lawsuit works

If you are thinking about an LAPD excessive force lawsuit, you are probably dealing with pain, medical bills and a lot of questions. Maybe officers shot at you during a mental health crisis, struck you with a foam round at a protest, or used a takedown that left you badly hurt. Maybe someone in your family did not survive. We are sorry you are going through this.

This guide is specific to the Los Angeles Police Department. It explains how big the department is, who watches over it, what the City's own payout numbers and recent jury verdicts show, how a complaint differs from a legal claim, and where your claim against the City of Los Angeles must be filed. If you want to sue LAPD, the most important point comes first: a state-law claim against the City generally has to be filed within six months.

How large is the LAPD, and who oversees it?

Agency	Los Angeles Police Department (City of Los Angeles)
Size	The City's 2025–26 budget proposal projected about 8,620 sworn officers by June 30, 2026, against a stated goal of 9,500 (Los Angeles Times, January 2025)
Officer shootings	2023: 34 · 2024: 29 · 2025: at least 31 by early September (Los Angeles Times)
Less-serious force	1,451 "non-categorical" uses of force in 2024, down from 1,503 in 2023 (Los Angeles Times)
Oversight	Board of Police Commissioners (five civilians); Office of the Inspector General
Claims go to	Office of the City Clerk, 200 N. Spring St., Room 395, Los Angeles 90012

The LAPD is run by a civilian board, not only by the Chief of Police. According to the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, the Board of Police Commissioners has five civilian members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The Commission sets department policy and decides whether serious uses of force, such as shootings, were within policy.

The Commission is supported by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which reports directly to the Commission. The OIG takes part in the review of serious force incidents, monitors and audits internal investigations, receives complaints from the public and refers them to Internal Affairs, and can compel records and officer statements. Neither body can award you money; only a claim and, if needed, a lawsuit can.

What the LAPD's force data show

The department reports its shootings and force in a yearly use-of-force review. As summarized by the Los Angeles Times in September 2025, LAPD officers shot at 29 people in 2024, down from 34 in 2023. By early September 2025, officers had already been involved in at least 31 shootings, more than in all of 2024. The same report counted 1,451 "non-categorical" uses of force in 2024, such as Taser or beanbag shotgun use, or force causing serious but not life-threatening injury.

The Times reported in January 2025 that the department was projected to fall to about 8,620 officers by mid-2026, which would be its lowest level in roughly 30 years. These numbers are as of the dates given and may change.

How much has Los Angeles paid in police cases?

The City of Los Angeles, not the individual officer, usually pays when an LAPD case settles or ends in a verdict. Different reviews have measured those costs in different ways, so we give each figure with its source rather than combining them:

• An LA Public Press analysis (November 2025) found $384 million paid on nearly 2,000 LAPD claims since September 2019. About $183 million of that was for civil rights violations, police shootings, excessive force and illegal searches. The same analysis counted 35 protest-related cases since 2019 with about $20 million in payouts, and $155 million in LAPD settlements in the prior fiscal year.
• L.A. TACO (April 2026), citing the City Controller's office, reported more than $430 million in policing-related liability payouts since 2019, with more than 40 percent listed as civil rights or excessive force claims.
• Los Angeles Magazine (March 2025) reported that LAPD accounted for $100 million in liability payments in fiscal year 2024, the largest share of any department.

Reported LAPD verdicts and settlements

These are reported results in cases against the City of Los Angeles and LAPD officers. They were obtained by other lawyers, not by our firm. Verdicts can be reduced or appealed.

Every case is different. Past results, including those listed here, do not predict the outcome of any other case. For a wider statewide list, see our page on police brutality settlements and verdicts in California.

The 2020 and 2025 protest cases

Protest policing has produced its own wave of LAPD litigation. After the 2020 demonstrations, Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and others filed a federal class action, Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles v. City of Los Angeles. According to the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, the suit alleges mass arrests of about 2,600 people over one week and the use of batons and rubber bullets on protesters. In 2021 the court issued a preliminary injunction limiting LAPD's use of 40mm and 37mm projectiles. Class certification was sent back for more analysis by the Ninth Circuit in 2024, and the case was still pending as of late 2025.

After the anti-ICE protests that began in June 2025, the Los Angeles Press Club and Status Coup sued the City. U.S. District Judge Hernán Vera issued an emergency order in July 2025 barring LAPD from using less-lethal munitions on journalists covering those protests. L.A. TACO reported in April 2026 that more than 120 claims for damages tied to protests and public gatherings had been filed against the City since the protests began. If you were hurt by a foam baton round, pepper ball or other projectile, our guide to rubber bullet and protest injury claims covers the details.

Can you sue LAPD for excessive force?

Yes, in many cases. Most LAPD cases combine two kinds of claims.

Federal civil-rights claims. Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, you can sue individual officers for using force that was objectively unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment, judged by the whole situation they faced. The City itself can be liable under federal law only if a City policy, custom or failure to train caused the harm. Officers can raise qualified immunity on federal claims, but that defense does not protect the City on a policy claim. These claims generally must be filed within two years, and there is no claim form first. Our guide to excessive force claims in California explains the standard in more detail.

State-law claims. California claims such as battery, negligence, wrongful death and the Bane Act (Civil Code § 52.1, which covers interference with your rights through threats, intimidation or coercion) can be brought against the City, which is generally responsible for its officers' acts on the job. Some immunities apply. Qualified immunity is a federal defense and does not apply to these state claims. For deadly force, California law (Penal Code § 835a, as amended in 2019) allows officers to use deadly force only when they reasonably believe it is necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury, or, in narrow cases, to catch a person fleeing a felony that threatened or caused death or serious injury who the officer reasonably believes will seriously hurt or kill someone unless caught right away.

When someone is killed, the case is brought by the estate and by close family, such as a spouse or children, and in some situations parents or others who depended on the person. Our guide on wrongful death after a police shooting explains who can sue.

A complaint is not a claim

Many people file a personnel complaint with the LAPD, or with the Inspector General, and assume that protects their rights. It does not. A complaint asks the department to investigate and possibly discipline an officer. It does not ask for money, and it does not stop the six-month clock on a claim against the City.

You can do both. But if you want compensation, you must also file a separate government claim with the City Clerk on time. Be careful what you say in a complaint interview, especially if criminal charges are pending against you; statements can be used in other proceedings. Talk to a lawyer first if you can.

Where to file a claim against the City of Los Angeles

According to the Office of the City Clerk, claims against the City can be filed:

• online through the City's claims portal, which gives you a claim number right away;
• by mail to the Office of the City Clerk, 200 North Spring Street, Room 395, City Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90012; or
• in person at Room 395, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Emailed or faxed claims are not accepted. The City Attorney's Claims Division says new claims should not be sent to its office, and that claims for death or personal injury must be filed no later than six months after the incident (Government Code § 911.2). If the City denies your claim, you generally have six months from the notice to file suit. Our six-month claim deadline guide explains late-claim rules and common mistakes.

What to do now

1. Get medical care and keep every record, bill and photo of your injuries.
2. Write down the date, time, place, officer names or badge numbers, car numbers and witnesses.
3. Save any video, and note businesses with cameras nearby; footage is often overwritten.
4. Ask about body-worn camera video. Video of critical incidents generally must be released within 45 days (Government Code § 7923.625), and records of force causing death or great bodily injury are public under Penal Code § 832.7.
5. Do not sign anything from the City or give a recorded statement before talking with a lawyer.
6. Calendar the six-month claim deadline from the date of the incident.

How LaCour handles LAPD cases

LaCour Trial Lawyers is a trial firm headquartered in Pasadena, with partners leading each case. We handle police misconduct and wrongful death in custody cases across California, we have Spanish-speaking lawyers and staff, and we work on contingency, so there is no fee unless there is a recovery. We send preservation demands for video and records early. Ask for a free, confidential review.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information about California and federal law and about public records as of its date. It is not legal advice, and reading it or contacting us does not create an attorney–client relationship. Allegations in lawsuits are claims, not findings. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney advertising.