Videographer Alleging Assault By BH Police Chief Settles Lawsuit

SANTA MONICA, CA — A freelance videographer has reached a settlement of his lawsuit against the city of Beverly Hills and former police Chief Sandra Spagnoli, in which he alleged she ran over his foot when he tried to interview her in 2019.

No terms were divulged and Jacob Rogers' attorney, Michael Carrillo, said the settlement of the suit filed in November 2019 is not subject to approval by the Beverly Hills City Council.

Rogers' lawyer filed the notice of settlement on March 10 with Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Elaine W. Mandel.

Rogers alleged that at about noon on April 16, 2019, he approached Spagnoli for comment about an internal investigation regarding a Beverly Hills Police Department officer who had allegedly slandered a photojournalist by calling him a "child molester" and a "rapist."

The photojournalist was not identified in the court papers.

Spagnoli, without justification, got into a vehicle and ran over Rogers' foot after moments earlier saying she would be "happy" to sit down and talk with the plaintiff, the suit alleged.

Rogers suffered severe pain, suffering and embarrassment, according to the suit, which alleged assault, battery and negligence and sought unspecified damages.

Attorney Daniel K. Spradlin, in court papers filed on behalf of the city and Spagnoli, maintained that Rogers "has no evidence that she intentionally ran over his foot, including his own footage of the incident."

Spagnoli, hired as the first female police chief in Beverly Hills history in 2016, announced her retirement in April 2020, ending a term of service in which the city paid millions of dollars to settle lawsuits alleging that she had made racist remarks to officers and harassed subordinates.

City News Service