A jury has awarded $8.4 million to a former White police officer who alleged he confronted discrimination and retaliation by Korean-American command workers on the La Palma Police Division.
Ross Byer joined the division in Might 2022 and accomplished his coaching that August with optimistic efficiency evaluations, in accordance with court docket data. His efficiency remained passable till he was reassigned that yr to a special sergeant.
Byer alleged the sergeant, who’s Korean-American, favored a Korean officer on the identical shift and routinely gave Byer a heavier workload. In the course of the trial, he acknowledged giving Byer extra assignments than Byer’s Korean companion, data present.
Byer reported the remedy to Capt. Jesse Amend in January and February 2023, alleging disparate remedy and remarks about wanting an “all-Korean police force,” Byer’s authorized crew mentioned. Proof offered in court docket confirmed that two different white officers had beforehand raised related issues about Sgt. Received Koh, together with retaliation and destructive evaluations. One in every of them was later terminated.
Attorneys for Byer argued the testimony demonstrated an ongoing sample of discrimination that metropolis supervisors failed to deal with.
In Might 2023, Koh issued an annual analysis score stating that Byer “needs improvement,” which denied him a pay improve, in accordance with court docket data. Division data launched at trial confirmed Byer’s patrol exercise carefully matched his Korean companion’s. Byer resigned on June 1, 2023, saying he believed he was about to be fired, his attorneys mentioned.
Every week later, Byer met with the town’s human sources workers to report discrimination, retaliation and issues about alleged racial profiling directives, reporting that Koh directed him to focus on Black drivers for visitors stops, data present. Notes from that assembly have been forwarded to senior administration, however no investigation adopted, in accordance with testimony.
Byer’s lawsuit accused the town of discrimination based mostly on race and nationwide origin, retaliation and failure to stop discrimination. He waived claims for misplaced wages and different financial damages earlier than trial, in search of compensation just for emotional misery.
Attorneys for the town argued that Byer’s emotional misery stemmed from earlier private losses unrelated to his job, together with the lack of his father when he was a toddler and the lack of his daughter in 2020, and urged jurors to award not more than $35,000. The town had supplied $75,000 to settle the case earlier than trial, mentioned Christian Petronelli, certainly one of Byer’s attorneys.
Byer’s attorneys sought $14 million.
The jury deliberated for about 5 hours, Byer mentioned.
On Tuesday, Dec. 9, the jury discovered La Palma accountable for $3.92 million in previous and $4.48 million in future non-economic damages, totaling $8.4 million.
Byer’s attorneys, Mitchel Vanderpool and Petronelli, mentioned reverse-discrimination circumstances are troublesome and uncommon, notably in Orange County.
“This case is about accountability,” Petronelli mentioned. “Police hold us accountable if we speed or run a red light. This case is about who holds the police accountable when they violate the law.”
Byer is not working in legislation enforcement, and has pivoted to a profession in house inspections.
“All I wanted was to be a police officer,” Byer mentioned in a quick interview on Thursday. “But I knew that after suing – and winning – I’d be unhireable.”
The Metropolis of La Palma mentioned in an announcement that it “takes this matter seriously” and is reviewing the decision with authorized counsel to find out subsequent steps. The town declined to offer additional remark.
