Police brutality settlements in California: reported results from 2015 to 2026

If you are searching for police brutality settlements in California, you may be trying to understand what happened to you or to someone you love, and what a case like yours could be worth. We are sorry you are dealing with this. This page collects reported settlements and jury verdicts from California police misconduct cases between 2015 and 2026, each one linked to a news report or a public record.

These are reported results in California cases handled by other lawyers. They are not LaCour results. They show the range of outcomes families and injured people have reached, and the facts that seem to matter most. They cannot tell you what your own case is worth. Every case is different. Past results, including those listed here, do not predict the outcome of any other case.

Reported California police misconduct settlements and verdicts, 2015–2026

The table is sorted newest first. "Settlement" means the public agency agreed to pay. "Verdict" means a jury decided the case; a verdict can be reduced by the judge, appealed or settled later. A person is named only when they or their family publicly sued. Descriptions follow the cited reports, and claims that were never decided by a court are described as allegations or as one side's account. Amounts are as reported and are not added together.

This list is not complete. Many cases settle quietly, some agencies do not announce amounts, and some confidential settlements never reach the news. For example, San Francisco's 2018 settlement with the parents of Amilcar Perez Lopez was not disclosed when it was reported, so it is not in the table. We plan to update this page as new results are reported.

How much is a police brutality settlement worth?

There is no average that means much. In the table, reported amounts run from $300,000 for a protest injury to $30 million for the death of a teenager. Two cases that sound alike on paper can end very differently. What a case is worth depends on what the evidence shows, how badly the person was hurt, who can bring the claim, and how a jury in that county is likely to see it.

The fair way to read this table is as a set of examples, not a price list. A lawyer can only give a real estimate after seeing the video, the reports, the medical records and the autopsy, if there was one.

What drives the value of a police misconduct case

Video

Body-worn camera, dash camera, store security and bystander video often decide what the case is about. In the 2015 San Bernardino County case, a news helicopter recorded the beating, and the county settled within weeks. In the Anaheim case, body camera and laundromat footage showed a long struggle. California generally requires agencies to release body camera video of a critical incident within 45 days (Gov. Code § 7923.625), with some exceptions. Our guide to getting autopsy records and video explains how families ask for it.

How serious the harm is

Deaths and permanent injuries lead to the largest results. The $20 million Yuba City settlement involved a man left paralyzed after a traffic stop. Protest injury cases in the table, while serious, settled for far less. In a death case, the people who can sue matter too: a spouse and children usually bring the wrongful death claim, and in some situations parents or others who depended on the person can. The estate can bring a separate survival claim.

Whether the force was necessary

Federal claims ask whether the force was objectively reasonable under the Fourth Amendment, looking at all the circumstances. California's own deadly-force law, Penal Code § 835a, says an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes, based on the totality of the circumstances, that it is necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury, or to stop certain dangerous fleeing felons. Cases where the person was unarmed, running away, already handcuffed or in a mental health crisis often draw the closest scrutiny. Several entries above, including the Stockton restraint case, turned on what happened after the person was already under control. Read more in our guides on excessive force claims in California and wrongful death after a police shooting.

Evidence about the department, not just the officer

A city or county can be held responsible under federal law when a policy, custom or failure to train caused the harm. Lawyers call this a Monell claim. Evidence of earlier complaints, similar incidents, weak training or ignored warnings can raise the stakes for the agency. An officer's own history, such as prior force complaints or discipline, can matter too, and California makes many records of serious force public under Penal Code § 832.7.

Punitive damages and individual officers

Punitive damages are meant to punish, not to compensate. Public entities themselves cannot be ordered to pay them under California law (Gov. Code § 818), but a jury can award them against an individual officer in some cases. The 2018 Barstow verdict included $18 million in punitive damages against the deputy.

Verdicts are not the end

A large verdict can shrink. In the San Diego County case, a jury awarded $85 million, the judge threw out that award as out of proportion to the evidence, and the county later settled for $12 million. Appeals and post-trial motions are part of the real picture.

Why cities and counties settle

Most police misconduct cases end in a settlement, not a trial. A public agency weighs the risk of a jury verdict, the cost of defending the case for years, and the fact that it may have to pay the other side's attorney's fees if it loses a civil-rights claim. Video and records that will be shown to a jury also shape the decision. A settlement is not an admission. Many agreements in the table say the agency denied wrongdoing, as Los Angeles County did in the Kizzee settlement.

Settlements with cities and counties are usually approved in public by a city council or board of supervisors, which is why many amounts become known. Settlements for children often need a judge's approval, and the money may be held in trust until they turn 18, as in the Sacramento case.

Qualified immunity is a defense that can shield individual officers from federal claims in some cases. It does not apply to state-law claims such as battery or the Bane Act, and it does not protect a city or county from a Monell claim. Our guide to qualified immunity in California explains why that matters when a case is being valued.

How long do police misconduct cases take?

Years, in most of the cases above. Looking only at the dates in the reports: the Trader Joe's shooting happened in 2018 and settled in 2024. The East Los Angeles shooting happened in 2021 and settled in 2026. The Vallejo windshield shooting happened in 2020 and settled in 2026. Faster outcomes happen, but they are the exception.

The early deadlines are short, though. A state-law claim against a California city, county or the State generally requires a written government claim within six months of the injury or death (Gov. Code § 911.2). Federal civil-rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 have no claim requirement and generally must be filed within two years in California. Our guide to the six-month government claim deadline walks through the steps. If a criminal case is pending against you or the officer, the civil deadlines usually still run, so talk to a lawyer before giving any statement.

Attorney's fees under § 1988 and the Bane Act

Civil-rights law lets the winning side recover its lawyers' fees in some cases. In a federal § 1983 case, 42 U.S.C. § 1988(b) lets the court award the prevailing party a reasonable attorney's fee. Under California's Bane Act, Civil Code § 52.1, a person whose constitutional rights were interfered with by threats, intimidation or coercion can sue for damages, "including, but not limited to, damages under Section 52," and the court may award reasonable attorney's fees. Our Bane Act guide explains how these claims work against police.

Fee-shifting matters for two reasons. It raises the cost of losing for the agency, which can push it toward settlement. And it means the reported settlement amount may include money for fees and costs, not only for the family. Reports do not always say how the amount was split.

At LaCour, we take police misconduct cases on contingency. You pay no fee unless there is a recovery.

What these results mean for you

• The numbers above show what is possible, not what is likely in your case.
• Evidence disappears. Video can be overwritten, witnesses move and memories fade. Ask a lawyer to send preservation letters early.
• A complaint to the department or an oversight board is not a legal claim and does not stop the six-month clock.
• Do not sign anything from the city, county or an insurer before you get advice.
• Write down names, badge numbers, dates and the names of anyone who saw what happened. Keep photos of injuries and all medical records.

LaCour Trial Lawyers is a trial firm with seven California offices, and a partner leads every police misconduct case. We handle these cases statewide, and we have Spanish-speaking lawyers and staff. Learn more about our police misconduct and wrongful death in custody practice, see our list of jail death settlements and verdicts in California, or 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.