‘Greedy And Corrupt’: Calif. Politicians Forced To Personally Pay Company $1.6M
Lawmakers have to pay out of their own pockets
Fighting the government and winning can seem like a pipe dream for anyone who feels that they’ve been wronged by bureaucracy. But hard-fought legal victories do happen sometimes — and for one California cannabis company, it recently resulted in a seven-figure payout.
David Ju, the owner of a Los Angeles area cannabis company, won a nearly $1.9 million verdict earlier this month against the city of Baldwin Park and multiple public officials after a jury agreed the local politicians had committed fraud during the city’s cannabis licensing process. Shockingly, both the individual politicians and the city are now responsible for paying Ju the damages.
Oren Bitan, an LA attorney who was not involved in the case but reviewed its details, said in an email to SFGATE that winning a case like this was “extremely difficult” and “historically rare.” Usually, Bitan said, the legal system protects public officials from being personally liable for actions they take while in government office.
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