Jury Awards $17.85 Million After LA Sheriff Deputies Give Conflicting Traffic Signals at a Crowded Crosswalk

After a major international soccer match, crowds of fans gathered in the streets of Los Angeles County to celebrate, and LA County Sheriff deputies were deployed to manage the surge of people on foot and in vehicles. Two pedestrians, Melanie Gonzalez and Magie Gonzalez, were crossing in a marked crosswalk when a vehicle struck them. The collision gave Melanie a fractured tibia, a mild but permanent traumatic brain injury, and substantial future medical needs. Her sister Magie sustained a sprained knee requiring physical therapy.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, centered on how the Sheriff's Department planned and executed its traffic-control operation that night. Attorneys Greg Mohrman, James Caress, and Brian Beecher of Arash Law argued that the deputies failed on multiple fronts: the operational plan was put together at the last minute despite days of advance notice, the pre-deployment briefing was inadequate, vehicles were staged in ways that cut off sightlines for both drivers and pedestrians, and most critically, individual deputies gave hand signals that directly contradicted traffic lights that were still cycling and giving pedestrians the walk signal.

The County argued its personnel were doing the best they could in an unpredictable, high-volume situation. One deputy testified that the vehicle moved forward despite his directive to make a U-turn. Plaintiffs countered that this was precisely the point: the deputies had created a scene so confused that reasonable drivers could not tell who or what to obey.

The trial ran 28 days, from November 4 to December 19, 2024, before Judge Michael Small in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The jury found no comparative fault on the part of either plaintiff.

Deliberations lasted about two hours. The jury awarded Melanie Gonzalez $16,854,093.94, which included $6,854,093.94 in future medical costs and $5,000,000 in past non-economic damages, plus $6,000,000 for future non-economic losses. Magie Gonzalez received $1,000,000 in past non-economic damages. The combined verdict was $17,854,093.94.