Mitrice Richardson's family files multimillion-dollar claim against L.A. County

The family of Mitrice Richardson, who has been missing since she was released from the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff’s station at 12:30 a.m. Sept. 17, has filed a multimillion-dollar claim against Los Angeles County, alleging that Sheriff’s Department personnel acted negligently.

The claim mentions a number of officers who interacted with Richardson, 24, from the time she was arrested at Geoffrey’s, a Malibu restaurant, for not paying her $89 dinner bill, until her release into the night without her car, cellphone or purse.

Staff at the restaurant said she was behaving bizarrely and speaking gibberish. The restaurant staffer who called the Sheriff’s Department said she was “acting crazy.”

In the months since her disappearance, homicide investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department say, they have found evidence in her diaries and text messages that she was suffering from severe bipolar disorder.

“We feel they had a duty to keep her there,” said attorney Leo Terrell, who filed the claim on behalf of Richardson’s mother, Latice Sutton; her father, Michael Richardson; the missing woman; and her estate. “If they felt she had a mental issue, they had an obligation to hold her.”

The deputies could have held her for a mental evaluation. But the Sheriff’s Department has steadfastly maintained that in the hours it did detain her, she appeared and talked rationally. A department spokesman has said the department felt, if anything, that it had a legal obligation to release her in a timely manner.

The claim, which was filed last week, alleges negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wrongful death, according to Terrell.

LAPD Homicide Det. Chuck Knolls, who has been investigating the disappearance of the Cal State Fullerton graduate for months, expressed surprise that wrongful death was included.

“As far as we know, she’s a missing person,” said Knolls, who was part of an extensive search of the Malibu Canyon area Saturday. No sign of Richardson turned up, nor is there any evidence she was a victim of a crime.

Terrell acknowledged the possibility that she could turn up alive — in which case, he said, he would remove the wrongful death portion of the claim as well as the reference to Richardson’s estate. But he filed the claim as he did, he said, to make the six-month window after the alleged negligence occurred.

Terrell expects to follow the claim with a lawsuit.

-- Carla Hall

Comments

[Lou Bricano]

When a hack lawyer like Leo Terrell is involved, you KNOW it's all about the $$$.

Suppose all the facts of this case were completely reversed. That is, suppose that Ms. "Richardson's" (why do these people always have the last name of the sperm-donor biological father, despite no marriage?) whereabouts were known, and that the sheriff's department had held her on grounds of a seeming "mental issue", even though there was evidence that she was mentally competent? Do you suppose this hack ambulance-chasing lawyer would be saying, "Yep - the sheriff's department acted out of an abundance of caution, and I say they did the right thing by holding her"? Not on your life, he wouldn't be saying that.

Lawyers like Terrell will say anything - ANYTHING - that they think might help them get a huge fee. They are the most thoroughly corrupt and unprincipled element of our society - worse than outright criminals.

[af]

Wrongful death shouldn't be such a surprise; the county charges people with homicide despite having no body, so why can't they sue the county?

[yausser]

I truly feel sorry for this "lost" woman. Still, how many suits would be filed if the Sheriff incarcerated or kept all the arrestees who spoke gibberish and were "acting crazy"? As the Sheriff himself points out, almost half of the incarcerated are mentally unstable. Is it not the County and State's obligation to provide better mental health treatment for those who are dazed and confused? And as the public budget goes belly up, shouldn't the voters also figure out how to pay for these more humane services?

[KZinCC]

Leo Terrell. What a surprise. Not

[Responsiblility]

So this lawyer says that the lawsuit is because they feel the sheriff's had a responsibility to keep Mitrice?
How about the responsibility of family, friends, coworkers, and her mentor/teacher who have all subsequently stated that they received strange messages from Mitrice in the days leading up to her disappearance????
I guess the ones who know her best don't have to do anything, Mitrice should have had the loving assistance of her closest circle. Instead, this family wanted the public agency to do what they refused to do - fix Mitrice's problems.
This lawsuit was in the works for a very long time, I've followed the case and every statement, interview or demand smacked of sue, sue, sue rather than finding Mitrice.

[RWH]

How typical. Lawyers and their clients look at the County as their financial savior. Sue for millions as the deputies should have been skilled mental health workers capable of determining that another petty criminal was unstable....like they don't see that on a daily basis. This isn't about her safety, it's about enriching themselves at taxpayer expense.

[OnlyinAmerica]

I've read this book before: Despite the merits of this case, the mere threat of a "multimillion" dollar suit will be enough to coerce the city into a settlement, probably in the $1 to 2 million dollar range, 40% of which will go to the attorneys of course.

Gotta love these attorneys!

[Andrew]

Bad move, folks. The county had no legal obligation--or even a right--to hold her based on what it knew at the time. We don't live in a dictatorship where government can just hold onto people. And, anyway, lots of people are bipolar, etc--doesn't mean you're a danger to yourself or others, per 5150 WIC.

Now the county has a reason to stop investing in finding her--because every moment with you will be one, big discovery motion. Good luck finding her in the canyons or on the streets on your own.

[Ken]

I love this time we live in, with no personal responsibility, It is a shame that this lady has a mental illness, but with the highs and lows of bi-polar disease she may have been back to normal at the police station and without a long term observation the Sheriffs office may have not noticed a problem, what about the parents? Did they not know their daughter had a mental illness? Did they not try to get her help? Where they close enough to her to even recognize a problem? I can't even imaging how it must feel to be missing a daughter, I am just sick how in this country we turn tragedy into paydays.

[Anabelle]

Unless the police had a hand in her disappearance, how are they responsible for a 24-year-old adult? Did they maliciously release her without her purse and cell phone (if she appeared under the influence of something, then keeping the car for a day is reasonable) causing a lapse in communication from her? The police are not running a baby-sitting facility - and where was her family and/or attornmey - she was given a phone call - when she was arrested? This sounds like another sleazoid scumbag lawyer digging for gold with conveniently fabricated shovels of kiln-hardened horse manure. Typical.

[MdW]

The LA Times is proving to be a sperm donor to those that comment with racist overtones "Lou Briscano", without printing rebuttals on such comments.

[Glenn Dale]

I don't love my guns but I like them a lot. While I think what Arena did was pretty juvenile, I don't think it should have been criminal, although under DC law it apparently is a criminal offense.

However, to appreciate why he might do such a thing and to answer your question, ask yourself what "things" you "love".

To admit that you love your guns, is, in today's culture, an admission of some abnormality. Freud will be cited to indicate your feelings of inadequacy, you must be maladjusted etc. People like possessions, such as guns, because they are important in some way to their lives and how they see themselves. Before you cite this in an admission that gun lovers must be warped, ask what do you love? Some people love cars, usually expensive, powerful sports cars. What does that say about them? Pretty much nothing. Some people collect dolls, limoge, glassware, etc. what does that say about them, anything useful?

You are a writer: do you love old bound editions of some influential book, your laptop etc.? What does that say about you?

All of these passions etc. may have some limited explanatory value but in reality all they really say is that we are human, we have petty human lives and interests that cannot be rationally explained but that are not inherently dangerous.

[Lysette]

They let her out in the middle of the night, out in the middle of nowhere basically, without her purse, cellphone or vehicle. For those of you that find that acceptable, perhaps you need to reflect on that scenario for a minute longer. The fact that this young woman had mental issues makes it even worse that the Sheriffs Department would act so negligently. Yes, there should be a multimillion dollar lawsuit filed and I hope they find this poor girl soon. What an outrageous story this is. Shame on law enforcement for this one. They really, really blew it.

[sheila]

Mental illness and shady lawyers aside, why would they put her out on the street at 1:30 AM in the middle of nowhere without a purse, phone or a ride? I'm sorry, but that is at least negligence, and probably worse in a department well known for racism and good ole boy behavior.

She was among people with a purse and phone earlier, and they removed her from that environment and put her into a much more dangerous one, then just left her out there to fend for herself. We only have their word for it that they offered to let her stay or call someone.

Sheriffs, like other big institutions without personal accountability, have to be deterred from behaving like savages. If it's money that does that, so be it. That has been the traditional "check" on irresponsible and/or evil institutional behavior but if there is a better way, then name it.

[John]

Am I to understand that this lawsuit is based upon homicide detectives reading text messages and coming to the conclusion that Richardson is suffering from a serious mental illness? I'd love be in the courtroom the day these police officers are asked about their respective degrees in psychiatry so that diagnosis could be made.

[8movies5plays]

Perhaps Oak park, CA

from Oak Park MI

[SnoringDogs]

Lou Bricano, "these people" carry the names of the male biological contributors because we live in a fraternal society. It would be easier to follow lineage through the maternal line (people always know who their mommas are!) but such is not the case ... so ... that is why she's a Richardson.

[CS]

Why is everyone focused on everything but the fact that this girl was released without any of her possessions or direction in the middle of the night? Even if her state of mind was flawless - how is this responsible conduct on behalf of any law enforcement agency?

You bet I'd sue to make a point. This family is crazed wondering what happened that night. At the very least we should trust that police/sheriff stations release someone in a safe, responsible manner, particularly a woman.

[SAR]

This will probably be all decided by the typical jury.
Where they sit there making their mind up on one thing.
"What if this was my daughter, I would want that money."
Completely disregarding the facts and forgetting that, that money comes from their pockets, their tax dollar, they will be paying the family not the County. There is no such thing as an insurance plan to cover this...
If the facts say the Sheriff's department was negligent then more power to the family, but if not then they shouldn't get a single penny.

[ANNA]

As long we have a corrupt justice system allowing these case to go before a court the taxpayer will end up footing the bills for the ambulance chasers and their deranged clientèle

[pat]

The police are under no obligation to baby sit adults. This young woman was allowed to make a phone call and did so. She also told the officers someone was picking her up and she preferred to stand outside.
If she was behaving coherently and waiting for her ride, there was no reason for the officers to keep her inside of the station or offer her a ride home. She is an adult.
What is shameful, is her family knowing her condition and not picking her up from the restaurant when she called to let them know she had no money for her bill. They did not offer to pick her up, just offered to pay the tab on their credit card. So, I guess, there should be a law suit against the family for failing to pick up a family member THEY knew had a condition.
If all police departments were expected to baby sit everyone coming to their facility, we would not have the help on the strees when actually needed.
Since this woman was an adult, educated, and had made a call, it is a reasonable decision to find no problem having her wait outside of the station. If she walked off, or chose to go with someone she did not know, that is on her.
Police are always there to protect and serve.
Since this woman was causing a scene for so many others at the restaurant, patrons and staff, it was the police's duty to take her to the station, so others could enjoy their freedoms. They were protecting and serving everyone.

[Kovacs]

Mitrice's mother had been called, she informed the sheriff's department that she would pay for her daughters meal and when they were going to release her, that she be called to pick her up. So, what went wrong? A complete disregard for Mitrice's well-being! The fact of the matter is they completely disregarded Mitrice's mothers request, the young lady did not know the area, it's the middle of the night, no phone, money or anything that is so important to a person's safety. They didn't even give her a bus token.

We have gotten away from the "innocent until proven guilty" and have adopted a "guilty until proven innocent". As a victim of an overzealous policeman, I sympathize with the family. In my case I did nothing wrong, yet this went on for a year and a half until all charges were dropped.

This is a heartbreaking issue because once they took her into custody she became their responsibility. Her safety and well being were in their hands. Certain jails do not release women after dark for this very reason. I hope they find her alive, but if the worst has come to pass I hope the settlement is bigger than anything ever before. This will not bring Mitrice back and the pain will be there always, but the Sheriff's department needs to take some responsibility in this and unfortunately this is the only way citizens are able to punish them.

[Michael L. Richardson]

Well readers this is Mr. Richardson the father of Mitrice Richardson. Leo Terrell does not represent me and never has. Because like most of you, you don't have to be a rocket science to figure this out. I am surprise that the Editor, Carla Hall would print this without the facts. I met her and she has all my info, I thought she would ask me for a comment going forward. As the father, I'm deeply sadden by the theory that people want me to believe my daughter is dead. I've been very vocal and outspoken about what has happened to my daughter, but I, me, Michael Richardson has worked with and met with individuals who has gotten us to the great search that took place on Saturday, 1/9/2009. Many of you will be turned off from this matter, but If you ever noticed I'm always by myself. This is my plea, I need people to continue to search because she's alive. Visit her website I created for her, www.bringmitricehome.org. Feel free to contact me about the truth.

[J in Pasadena]

Get real. The sherriffs didn't want to do the paperwork for the 5150 hold, and they didn't want to transport her to the overcrowded County mental health hospital. Well, I guess they will be doing a little paperwork now. It's cases like this that force ignorant jerks to act responsibly. There are reasons for lawsuits.

[Blame game]

Comment like those from Lysette, CS and Sheila are indicative of the problems with our society today. No one takes responsibility for their own actions. What is the quickest way to make a buck? Sue....sue whenever you can. All you people who think that law enforcement is to blame have a real problem with discerning the difference between right and wrong. It's pitiful how weak our society has become, how we are always looking for others to prop us up. It will be a sad, sad time if we keep on heading in this direction.