Pellicano Case May Be Costly for Cities

The L.A.Times reports:

The cities of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills could face enormous civil payouts in the fallout from the wiretapping prosecution of disgraced private investigator Anthony Pellicano. Some legal experts are likening it to the Rampart scandal, which led to $70 million in settlements.

Former Beverly Hills Police Officer Craig Stevens has pleaded guilty to illegally accessing law enforcement databases, and former LAPD Officer Mark Arneson has been charged with tapping into confidential databases for information on dozens of people and conspiring with Pellicano to wiretap people.

Some of these plaintiffs will have a lot of money to go after those with deep pockets.