“She was bruised badly
and suffered emotional stress, humiliation and embarrassment which
affected her reputation in the community,” said Safran.”
“We are possibly claiming there was a deprivation of her rights
of freedom of speech.”
According to the claim, Norris falsely accused Jones of being “loaded
on Vicodin” which started a rumor that spread through the community.
She also incurred legal fees for representation in the court case
that she expected to attend, and out-of-pocket expense for medical
treatment.
The claim states 12 witnesses allegedly saw Jones roughly escorted
out of the forum and accosted.
It also mentions that Jones suspects she has been singled out and
targeted for harassment by Norris who “harbors personal animosity
toward her,” according to the claim. Since the event the claim
states that she has been followed, kept under surveillance by police
officers, and has been harassed both at home and in public.
A claim had also been filed against Ventura County on Feb. 12. A claim
is required to be filed before a suit is filed when the claimant is
proceeding against a government agency.
The city and county have 45 days to respond to the claim. If the city
does not accept or reject the claim then a lawsuit is permissible.
Safran said that the $10 million claim was a good starting point but
that the amount is still negotiable.
The city does not handle civil rights cases involving local police,
according to Ojai city attorney Monty Widders.
“Any claim about the Sheriff’s Department is processed
by them under our contract,” said Widders. “They have
agreed to process all claims against them.”
Cheryl Wade, commander of West County Patrol Services said that the
department receive liability claims almost daily.
Jacalyn Cohn, Ventura County liability claims manager, said that the
county sent a rejection letter to Jones on March 21.
“If we do something wrong we take care of it,” said Cohn.
“If we don’t believe we did then we reject it.”
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