fbpx
×

CRPANews Alert: City Of Los Angeles Writes Crpa $35,000 Settlement Check

January 15, 2019

CRPA, with support from NRA, recently challenged Los Angeles City’s refusal to be transparent and disclose records related to secretly obtained disposition orders used by LAPD to justify the destruction of firearms in its possession. It is estimated that thousands of firearms have been destroyed under the supposed authority of these “ghost” orders―which were never recorded in court records. CRPA has now prevailed in that lawsuit. As a result, the City has agreed to pay CRPA $35,000 as settlement for attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by the lawsuit.

The now disclosed records, in connection with other litigation efforts, have uncovered City policies that seek court orders as cover for destroying hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of dollars’ worth of firearms over the years. In many instances, such orders have allowed the City to destroy seized firearms without any notice to the owner, let alone after a court hearing with reasonable notice.

Absent a court order following the end of a criminal proceeding, California law requires LAPD to return seized property to its rightful owner. Contrary to that responsibility, however, LAPD officers seek orders from judges to dispose of seized property, sometimes from judges who were not even assigned to the original criminal case, while simultaneously failing to notify the original judge or the owner. In fact, the records obtained by CRPA’s lawsuit show that LAPD’s official protocol specifies that such orders are not to be filed with the original judge. Of over 75 such orders identified, only three were marked as “FILED” with a court!

Moving Forward

This lawsuit is an important victory for both California gun owners and the public alike. It also allows CRPA to achieve a free victory and to have that money it would have spent for future challenges, which are inevitable in the current anti-gun climate. This is only one phase in a series of challenges CRPA has made and will continue to make to the City’s illegal firearm policies, which seek to deprive firearms owners of basic due process rights in the seizure and return of their property.

Stay up-to-date on this and other important firearm related litigation by subscribing to NRA and CRPA email alerts. And be sure to visit the NRA-ILA California dedicated webpage at www.StandAndFightCalifornia.com and the CRPA webpage at www.CRPA.org.

Donate Now!

CRPA, with support from NRA, recently challenged Los Angeles City’s refusal to be transparent and disclose records related to secretly obtained disposition orders used by LAPD to justify the destruction of firearms in its possession. It is estimated that thousands of firearms have been destroyed under the supposed authority of these “ghost” orders―which were never recorded in court records. CRPA has now prevailed in that lawsuit. As a result, the City has agreed to pay CRPA $35,000 as settlement for attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by the lawsuit.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.