City Hall will appeal a $431,000 jury verdict on behalf of a gay
former Santa Barbara police officer, Ruben Lino, who claimed he
faced discrimination and retaliation for speaking out against
homophobic remarks made by some of his fellow officers. Acting at
the behest of city attorney Steve Wiley, Santa Barbara City
Councilmembers approved the appeal last week. They noted that Lino
won on only one of his four main causes of
action – retaliation – and some suggested the jurors had to torture
the evidence to arrive at the verdict they did. Mostly, however,
the decision was strategic, designed to give City Hall leverage in
negotiating the attorney’s fees it could get stuck with if Lino’s
jury award prevails. Lino’s attorney has already indicated that
legal fees and costs will be substantially higher than his client’s
$431,000 award.
