National Roundup

California
LAPD to test device for snaring suspects
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Police Department will begin testing a device designed to snare a person from a distance, giving officers an alternative to firing a Taser or a gun.

The Los Angeles Times reports Tuesday that department officials told the city Police Commission that officers will start testing the tool for free for 90 days beginning in January.

The device called the BolaWrap 100 fires a Kevlar cord that wraps around a person 10 to 25 feet (3 to 7.6 meters) away.

The device will be distributed to 200 LAPD officers once they are trained.

The Times says dozens of police departments across the United States are testing or have purchased the devices.

California
Billionaire faces $58M damage award in sex harassment case
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billionaire Alki David was hit with more than $58 million in damages after a jury found him liable for battery, sexual battery and sexual harassment against a former employee in the latest lawsuit targeting the owner of several media companies, the plaintiff’s attorney said.

Jurors on Monday awarded $50 million in punitive damages to Mahim Khan, a former production assistant who worked at his Los Angeles-based firms, attorney Gloria Allred said.

The same panel last week awarded $8.25 million in compensatory damages.

Khan alleged in her lawsuit that in 2014 David thrust his pelvis into her face and simulated oral sex. Allred disclosed the name of her client in a news release.

“I hope the punitive damages verdict sends a message to Alki David to never, ever think of violating another woman’s body,” Khan said in a statement provided by Allred’s office.

David plans an appeal. In a statement Monday, he denied the claim and accused the judge of blocking witnesses who would have exonerated him.

“This trial proves that not only is the system broken. It’s in a state of emergency. It’s an emergency for employment law, for business and innovation in the state of California,” the statement said.

David is heir to a Greek Coca-Cola bottling fortune. He heads several media firms, including FilmOn Networks, Alki David Productions Inc. and Hologram USA Networks Inc.

It was the third verdict this year against David, who has been accused of inappropriate behavior by former employees, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A jury in April awarded another employee $11.1 million. She said he fired her after she refused to have sex with him. She later agreed to a reduction in compensatory damages. Punitive damages remained at $8 million.

Last month a jury found in favor of another woman, awarding her $650,000 in compensatory damages and $4.35 million in punitive damages.

In 2016, she alleged David put his hands on her throat and pushed her chair into a wall, among other claims. According to her lawsuit, David told her that he needed to buy supplies for his “rape room,” the Times reported.

David faces two additional lawsuits; a suit filed in 2016 was settled out of court.

David has disputed the reports of sexual misconduct, saying, “I never touched any of these women.”

David remained belligerent, defiant and disruptive throughout his multiple trials in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to the newspaper.

He frequently erupted in profanity-laced outbursts while mocking his accusers and their attorneys, earning him nearly $10,000 in sanctions; he was ejected from the courtroom on several occasions.


California
Video game maker to pay $10 million in gender bias case
LOS ANGELES?(AP) — The maker of popular video game League of Legends has agreed to pay $10 million to female employees to settle a broad gender discrimination case.

Los Angeles-based Riot Games will pay about 1,000 current and former female employees who have worked at the company in the last five years.

The case against Riot Games claimed the company paid women less than men, passed them over for promotions and fostered a “bro culture” that excluded them.

The lawsuit claims that culture led to sexual harassment and misconduct. Allegations of misconduct against women have plagued the video game industry for years.

The plaintiff’s lawyer, Ryan Saba, said the large settlement amount shows that Riot was serious about changing its culture.

A Riot spokesman, Joe Hixson, said the company was pleased to have a settlement that resolved the lawsuit, calling it an important step that demonstrates Riot’s commitment to creating an “inclusive environment for the industry’s best talent.”

The court is expected to confirm the settlement this week.

New Mexico
Convicted lawman hopes SCOTUS ruling may lead to release
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico lawman convicted of abusing a driver in a bizarre, off-duty traffic stop is hoping a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling may lead to an early release.

The Albuquerque Journal reports a new lawyer for former Rio Arriba County Sheriff Tommy Rodella is planning to argue that a June decision applies to the lawman’s case and he should be released immediately.

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote on an unrelated robbery case out of Texas, struck down a firearms statute that added seven years to Rodella’s prison sentence.

In January 2015, Rodella was sentenced to 10 years and one month behind bars for convictions on two federal counts related to a road rage episode.

He’s serving time at a federal prison in Seagoville, Texas.

Colorado
Former priest up for parole in sex assault
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A former Roman Catholic priest imprisoned for sexually assaulting a teen in Colorado is up for possible parole.

The Coloradoan reports that 57-year-old Timothy Evans told the parole board Monday that he is "absolutely" guilty of abuse but has learned to identify his triggers for abusive behavior and has created a risk management plan through the treatment he’s received in prison. If paroled, he said he would be closely watched because his case is high profile.

It was the third parole hearing for Evans since he was sentenced to 14 years to life in prison in 2007 for sexually assaulting a boy who worked at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Fort Collins, where he was the pastor.

The full parole board would have to agree to release Evans. A decision is expected to take several weeks.