Largest Payouts for Police Misconduct Lawsuits in California

Payouts for police misconduct lawsuits in California have been high-profile and high-dollar.

Scott Olsen, an Iraq War veteran and Occupy Wall Street protester, was shot and wounded during a protest in Oakland, California, in October 2011. The beanbag round that was shot into the crowd by Oakland police struck Olsen in the head and caused the Marine veteran irreparable brain damage.

The city of Oakland settled with Olsen for $4.5 million, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

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In April 2013, the city of Los Angeles settled a $4.2 million police civil lawsuit after officers mistakenly shot two women who were delivering newspapers in the early morning hours.

Police who opened fire were involved in a manhunt for violent ex-cop Christopher Dorner, according to the Los Angeles Times, and mistook the women's vehicle as one looking like Dorner's.

The department had described the case as "a tragic mistake," but later found that the eight officers involved in the shooting “violated policy," according to NBC Los Angeles. Discipline of the officers for the incident was handled internally.

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Oscar Grant III, whose death inspired the film “Fruitvale Station,” was shot and killed by transit police while being handcuffed in a Bay Area subway platform, according to the San Franciso Chronicle.

Johannes Mehserle, the officer who "mistakenly" pulled his gun rather than his Taser on the prone Grant, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Bay Area Rapid Transit agreed to settlements to Grant’s mother ($1.3 million) and young daughter ($1.5 million), according to CBS San Francisco.

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