Paul Gozaloff, 45, a computer technician, was putting up campaign posters for presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani in Hollywood in 2008 when he went to a traffic stop while trying to find another campaign sign worker. He said he was beaten by several Hollywood police officers without justification and arrested on trumped-up charges of drug possession and obstructing a traffic stop. A judge dismissed the charges, ruling the arrest and search illegal. He claimed head, facial and body bruises and a residual psychiatric injury.
The city denied the allegations. The defense argued all of the officers maintained Gozaloff was irate, aggressive and belligerent and that reasonable force was used during his arrest. The case agreed to pay $240,000 to settle the case.
