Magana, Lara settlements top $1 million.Byline: Edward Russo The Register-Guard The public cost of Eugene's rogue cops keeps rising. The city earlier this month agreed to pay $250,000 to settle three lawsuits prompted by the crimes of former police officers Roger Magana and Juan Francisco Lara. With the latest settlements, the city has agreed to pay a total of $1.06 million to settle six lawsuits filed by Magana's and Lara's victims. Another woman sued last month, the 14th lawsuit against the city arising from the former officers' actions. Magana is serving a 94-year prison sentence for raping, sexually abusing or harassing 13 women during his eight years as a Eugene police officer. Lara, who spent 2 1/2 years as an officer, is serving a sentence of more than five years for using his position as a police officer to coerce women into having sex while he was on duty. The sex abuse scandal and concerns about racial profiling The consideration of race, ethnicity, or national origin by an officer of the law in deciding when and how to intervene in an enforcement capacity. Police officers often profile certain types of individuals who are more likely to perpetrate crimes. led to changes in the Police Department, expensive reviews and an election proposal for citizen oversight of complaints against officers. This weekend, Eugene voters are to start getting ballots on the city charter amendment that would give the City Council the authority to hire a police monitor and appoint a citizen review board. The election is Nov. 8. City Manager Dennis Taylor
The memo did not disclose the names of the people who received the settlements, which included attorneys' fees, or their representatives. One settlement, for $62,500, was on behalf of the "estate of TLA (Three Letter Acronym) The epitome of acronyms! While two-, four- and five-letter acronyms exist, there are more three-letter acronyms. Obviously, three words to describe a concept or product is the most popular. TLA - Three-Letter Acronym ," the memo said. The estate alleged that while he was on duty, Magana sexually assaulted the plaintiff three times, Taylor said. Magana was convicted of coercion coercion, in law, the unlawful act of compelling a person to do, or to abstain from doing, something by depriving him of the exercise of his free will, particularly by use or threat of physical or moral force. , a felony felony (fĕl`ənē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor, that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law. , in connection with the plaintiff, Taylor wrote. The Register-Guard reported the woman's name, Tomme Lea Allen, after she died last year. Authorities said she died of a drug overdose Drug Overdose Definition A drug overdose is the accidental or intentional use of a drug or medicine in an amount that is higher than is normally used. . The city settled the second case for $127,000. A woman alleged that Magana sexually assaulted her several times during a two-year period while he was on duty, Taylor wrote. Magana was convicted of two felonies and one misdemeanor for his actions in connection with the woman, the memo said. The city settled the third case for $60,000. Lara planted evidence on the plaintiff before sexually assaulting her, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the woman's lawsuit, Taylor wrote. Lara "later suggested that he could resolve the criminal charges in exchange for sexual favors sexual favor Any sexual act occurring in an employee-employer relationship, exchanged for privileged treatment in a workplace, ↑ salary, career advancement. See Sexual bribery, Sexual harassment. ," the memo said. "Lara was convicted of a misdemeanor for the offer to resolve her criminal charges." The city continues "to work toward fair and respectful re·spect·ful adj. Showing or marked by proper respect. re·spect  ful·ly adv. settlement of the remaining cases, which are scheduled to go to trail in
July 2006," Taylor wrote.
At least six officers and supervisors heard complaints about Magana, but ignored the accusations or dismissed them as improbable, according to police investigative files. Some officers heard the accusations more than five years before Magana was arrested, the files showed. Another woman sued the city on Sept. 5. Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, claiming the city was negligent negligent adj., adv. careless in not fulfilling responsibility. (See: negligence) in hiring, supervising and keeping Magana on the police force "when it knew or reasonably should have known that Officer Magana was unfit unfit not properly prepared, e.g. physically incapable of performing hard work as in racing, because of lack of training. Said also of food prepared unhygienically. unfit for human consumption to serve as a police officer." The woman said she was sexually assaulted by Magana about 25 times between 2000 and early 2002. "These encounters were part and parcel of Officer Magana's widespread and notorious sexual shakedowns of young women living in Eugene who were known to have drug and/or alcohol problems," her lawsuit said. The woman was deprived of her rights by the city for several reasons, the lawsuit said, including "having a policy, custom or practice of not fully investigating complaints of misconduct by police officers." The city also had a "custom or practice of fostering an environment in which police officers were afraid to report complaints against fellow police officers," the lawsuit said. The newspaper generally does not publish the names of sexual assault victims. |
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