Mother of Mitrice Richardson Files Lawsuit against County and LASD—Naming Nine Individuals and ‘Does’ 1-20

• Attorney Says Legal Action Will Allow the Use of Discovery and Depositions to Get Blocked Information

BY ANNE SOBLE

On Tuesday, Latice Sutton, the mother of Mitrice Richardson who has been missing since being released from the custody of the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station just after midnight on Sept. 17, 2009, formally announced that she is suing Los Angeles County, its sheriff’s department and nine named and numerous unnamed personnel “for the negligent and discriminatory acts” that resulted in her daughter’s disappearance.

Richardson, then 24, was reported missing after she allegedly left the Lost Hills Station alone and on foot, without money or a means of communication, because her car had been impounded in Malibu, with her cellphone and purse still inside the vehicle.

Richardson was arrested at Geoffrey’s restaurant for not paying an $89 dinner tab. Staff telephoned Lost Hills about taking her into custody and described her behavior as “really crazy.”

The deputies who transported her to Lost Hills and other personnel who encountered her all maintained that she appeared normal and engaged them in lucid conversation.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s official stance on Richardson’s release is that she was treated in accordance with standard LASD protocol.

Among the personnel named in the lawsuit are Deputy Frank Brower, Sgt. Mike Holland, Sgt. Eric Lasko, Deputy Jim Mulay, Deputy Armando Louriero, a Deputy Hill, a Deputy McKay, Sgt. Derrick Alfred, Deputy Ken Baumgartner and former station commander Tom Martin.

Unnamed, but included in the lawsuit, are all personnel who booked and released Richardson, such as jailer Sharon Cummings, the last person who is believed to have had contact with Richardson at the Lost Hills Station.

At a press conference held outside the Los Angeles County government complex, Sutton said the LASD failed her daughter by not listening to the witnesses who reported her bizarre behavior, such as speaking gibberish and acting so oddly that they didn’t think she should be allowed to drive her car.

The mother reiterated earlier statements she made to the Malibu Surfside News about an LASD videotape, the existence of which was first denied then reluctantly acknowledged by the agency, that she said shows her daughter exhibiting acute mental distress, which the lawsuit alleges should have resulted in her being 5150’d—held for a medical and psychiatric evaluation.

Issues related to Richardson having been taken in for booking for what is normally a field citable offense (as was the trace amount of marijuana found in her car) add the issue of possible false imprisonment to the complex litigation mix.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages. Sutton and her pro bono counsel, civil rights attorney and activist Leo Terrell, said this week’s filing is necessary to gain access to official documents and witnesses now being denied to them.

In addition to using discovery for reports and documents, the ability to depose “people who actually had contact with Richardson before she disappeared is imperative.” Because of perceived inaccuracies and misrepresentations, Terrell views depositions taken under oath as the only way to get closer to the truth.

The family also hopes to be able to obtain a copy of the videotape that Sutton was allowed to view but not allowed to subject to analysis for editing or other manipulation.

The nine points in the complaint filed this week also include violations of the Fourth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution; negligence; emotional distress; and disability discrimination that is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The latter reflects the subsequent determination from documents and diary entries found in Richardson’s car that appear to indicate that she may have been experiencing the onset of bipolar disorder and should have been afforded special legal protection because of that.

The suit also alleges wrongful death, although there are conflicting views on whether the woman is still alive. Some LASD officials maintain that Richardson is a “willing” missing person, who left of her own volition and does not want to be found.

Her family, however, has repeatedly denied that premise and grapples daily with the unanswerable question—without a body or remains—of whether she has died.

BONE FIND

Everyone rallied upon hearing on Tuesday of the report of another possible human bone find in an area where Richardson might have hiked, or more likely been driven, after leaving the Lost Hills Station.

A patrol car was dispatched to the scene. A preliminary analysis of photos of the find indicates the bones appear to be animal, but they were transported to the County Coroner’s Office for testing.

SATURDAY SEARCH

A team from REACT, Los Angeles County’s Radio Emergency Associated Communication Teams,  which strives to establish a monitoring network of trained volunteer citizen-based communicators, took part in a volunteer search effort on June 26.

No new clues directly related to Richardson’s whereabouts were found.

TOLL EVIDENT

All parties in the case appear to be showing signs of incredible stress. Family members and friends look and sound exhausted as nerves become increasingly frayed.

Even law enforcement personnel can be curt, perhaps without realizing it, since many of them may be juggling numerous cases at the same time.

ALL LEADS

Each new lead that materializes, no matter how seemingly insignificant, gets investigated. LASD spokespersons reiterate what was said when Sutton filed notice of a legal claim  in January, that the agency’s goal is to determine what happened to the young woman at the center of the mystery that now has continued for over nine months.

PRESS CONFERENCE—Attorney and civil rights activist Leo Terrell tells members of the media gathered outside the Los Angeles County complex downtown that filing of a lawsuit is the means to gain access to documents and witnesses that have been denied the family of Mitrice Richardson who went missing last Sept. 17. Richardson’s mother holds a copy of the college graduation photo of the woman who graduated with a 4.0 GPA from Cal State Fullerton and planned doctoral study.      Photo/Charles Croft