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California Federal Court Awards Falsely Arrested/Imprisoned Man $850,000
On December 31, 2003, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of
California awarded $850,000 to a man who was falsely arrested and
imprisoned for seven weeks due to misidentification by the federal Drug
Enforcement Agency (DEA).
In 1999, the DEA was investigating a drug cartel in Southern California. At
the DEA's behest, the Anaheim and Costa Mesa police departments conducted
related surveillance, during which a vehicle registered to Michael Ray
Shipp, 25, was surveilled. Shipp, however, had transferred the vehicle to
someone else months before and had moved to Oregon.
Shipp was subsequently arrested in Oregon, where he spent four weeks in
jail. He was then transferred to a Los Angeles jail, where he spent another
three weeks before authorities compared surveillance photos of the
vehicle's driver with photos of Shipp and realized their error.
Claiming false arrest and false imprisonment, Shipp sued the DEA for
damages. Specifically, Shipp sought compensation for substantial and
permanent psychological problems caused by the ordeal and for past and
future lost wages resulting from the loss of his job and attendant
seniority as an assistant manager for Costco.
At trial, Shipp presented testimony from Daniel M. Sullivan of Los Angeles,
an expert in police practices and procedures. The court found the DEA 100%
liable and awarded Shipp $850,000.
Shipp was represented by Steven A. Silverstein of the Orange, California,
law firm Silverstein & Huston. See: Shipp v. Drug Enforcement Agency, USDC
CD CA, Case no. SACV01167.
California awarded $850,000 to a man who was falsely arrested and
imprisoned for seven weeks due to misidentification by the federal Drug
Enforcement Agency (DEA).
In 1999, the DEA was investigating a drug cartel in Southern California. At
the DEA's behest, the Anaheim and Costa Mesa police departments conducted
related surveillance, during which a vehicle registered to Michael Ray
Shipp, 25, was surveilled. Shipp, however, had transferred the vehicle to
someone else months before and had moved to Oregon.
Shipp was subsequently arrested in Oregon, where he spent four weeks in
jail. He was then transferred to a Los Angeles jail, where he spent another
three weeks before authorities compared surveillance photos of the
vehicle's driver with photos of Shipp and realized their error.
Claiming false arrest and false imprisonment, Shipp sued the DEA for
damages. Specifically, Shipp sought compensation for substantial and
permanent psychological problems caused by the ordeal and for past and
future lost wages resulting from the loss of his job and attendant
seniority as an assistant manager for Costco.
At trial, Shipp presented testimony from Daniel M. Sullivan of Los Angeles,
an expert in police practices and procedures. The court found the DEA 100%
liable and awarded Shipp $850,000.
Shipp was represented by Steven A. Silverstein of the Orange, California,
law firm Silverstein & Huston. See: Shipp v. Drug Enforcement Agency, USDC
CD CA, Case no. SACV01167.
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Related legal case
Shipp v. Drug Enforcement Agency
| Year | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC CD CA, Case no. SACV01167 |
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Bench Verdict |
| Attorney Fees | 0 |
| Damages | 550000 |
| Injunction Status | N/A |