Former Manhattan Beach police officers Eric Eccles and Kristopher Thompson, who were fired in March for their alleged involvement in an off-duty traffic collision, each filed a $10.3 million claim for damages against the city of Manhattan Beach on Friday.
In identical claims, Eccles and Thompson argue that they were wrongfully terminated, and that the “public assassination” of each man’s character has interfered with their economic opportunity, personal health and relationships.
On January 31, 2010, Eccles and Thompson were passengers in a car collision in which the driver, an off-duty police officer at the time, failed to stop at the scene.
The incident cost three police officers, Eccles, Thompson and the driver, Richard Hatten, their jobs.
The city has 45 days, starting when the claims were filed, to decide whether to accept or reject the claims. If the claims are rejected, the former officers can choose to file lawsuits against the city.
“At this juncture, these claims as well as the unemployment claims will work their way through the appropriate process,” said city attorney Roxanne Diaz, in an email.
In their claims filed with the city, the former officers refer to statements made by former MBPD chief Rod Uyeda in more than two-dozen news articles about the incident that they argue have tainted their names and made it impossible to continue their careers as police officers. The officers argue that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department investigation and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office subsequent refusal to file charges exonerated them of any wrongdoing.
“Yet in spite of these exculpatory affirmations, Chief Rod Uyeda was permitted to carry out a conspicuously offensive personal vendetta; a retaliation based not on evidence, but on years of personal dislike,” the claims said.
The former officers request the resignation of city officials involved in their terminations, including Mayor Nick Tell, council members Richard Montgomery and Wayne Powell and City Manager Dave Carmany.
In both claims, the officers allege Uyeda compared them to Osama bin Laden in internal discussions among city staff members. “Even uttering my name in the same sentence as those fanatical, mass-murdering figures, to imply that in some way my character is comparable, is incomprehensible,” each claim states.
Uyeda was out of town and unavailable for comment at press time. Eccles and Thompson declined to comment other than to say the claim speaks for itself.
In March, the city fired the driver, Hatten, as well as Eccles and Thompson. Bryan Klatt, the watch commander on duty at the time of the crash, was demoted from the rank of lieutenant to officer. Jeff Goodrich, the officer who responded to the scene, was placed on administrative leave after the incident. He died of cancer last September, before the investigation was completed.
Eccles and Thompson have both been granted unemployment benefits. The city appealed both cases. A judge ruled in Eccles favor, stating that he didn’t “commit a substantial breach of an important duty or obligation,” and is qualified for benefits. The outcome is still pending in appeal of Thompson’s unemployment case.
In August, Hatten was sentenced to three years probation for failing to stop at the scene of a traffic collision. No charges were filed by the district attorney’s office against Eccles or Thompson.
“There is no evidence that indicates Eccles and Thompson aided, abetted or encouraged Hatten’s actions in leaving the scene of an accident,” according to a comment by the district attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division on a charge evaluation worksheet from January of this year, following the completion of the LASD investigation.
Eccles and Thompson’s employment arbitration hearing with the city is set for December, after which a judge will decide whether or not the two were wrongfully terminated and, if so, can suggest their reinstatement. The city can then choose whether or not to reinstate the former officers.
The former officers feel the arbitration hearing is a “moot endeavor,” as information and opinions that have circulated through city officials have jeopardized their “right to a fair trial” and have “poisoned” any potential return to MBPD. The officers claim that city officials have been complicit in their allegedly wrongful termination.
“There is a conspiracy occurring at the highest levels of the Manhattan Beach local government, to ensure that any chance of salvaging a respectable future for myself has been obliterated,” each claim states. “These acts of collusion, amount to political corruption.”
The claim will be passed on to the city’s third party administrator, AdminSure, for review.
Councilmember Richard Montgomery said he had not yet seen the claim. “We’ll respond, in kind, once we hear back from our insurer,” he said.
