$4.9 Million Settlement Reached in Kelly Thomas Lawsuit

November 24th, 2015

Awake Goy

Ron Thomas, Kelly Thomas’ father, settled his wrongful-death civil suit against the city of Fullerton and former and current police officers on Monday for $4.9 million.

Kelly Thomas was a mentally ill transient who was brutally beaten to death by Fullerton police officers in 2011.

The agreement was announced by Dana Fox, an attorney for the city of Fullerton.

Fox said they finalize the agreement over the weekend.

She told Orange County Superior Court Judge Kirk H. Nakamura that all parties had reached “a full and final settlement”. However, the defendants and the city continue to dispute the accusations.

“No one is admitting liability for any reason,” Fox said.

Once Ron Thomas and his attorneys sign the agreement, the settlement will be received within 30 days.

The court record will show that there is no prevailing party. Which means nobody won or lost. And nobody is responsible for the death of Kelly Thomas.

The lawsuit named former Fullerton cop Manuel Ramos, Jay Cicinelli and Joseph Wolfe, who were all fired from the department following Thomas’ death; Officers Kevin Craig and James Blatney; ex-Chief Michael Sellers and his predecessor, Patrick McKinley, who was a City Council member at the time of the beating death and was later recalled.

All defendants agreed to the settlement terms in court.

“I think both sides had much to gain and lose by trying this case,” Nakamura said.

He noted that moving forward with the trial would have given Ron Thomas the opportunity to testify, “but regardless of the outcome, you are never going to have your son back.”

In 2012, Kelly’s mother, Cathy Thomas, accepted a $1 million settlement from the city of Fullerton.

A previously sealed internal affairs report claims the officers involved in Thomas’ death “violated a series of department policies, including use of force.”

“Both Ramos and Wolfe were experienced officers. The risk of injury to citizens and officers was relatively low and the risk of escape, while it existed, would not have necessarily presented a great public safety threat to the community based on the initial observations of the responding officers,” the internal affairs report said.

RAW VIDEO: Kelly Thomas Beating (Graphic)