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Newport settles police assault suit

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Newport Beach agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that a police officer pulled down a man’s pants and punched him in the neck while taking him into custody.

The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court in August, called for a jury trial to determine damages for the alleged civil rights violations, assault and battery, according to court documents.

The city denied any wrongdoing, said City Atty. Aaron Harp.

“The settlement was a business decision,” he said. “We don’t believe the officer did anything wrong.”

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The scuffle occurred in November 2012, when Thomas Quinn’s former girlfriend called police to report that he had stolen some of her property, according to court documents.

The ex-girlfriend had broken into his home and was waiting there for police, the lawsuit states.

Quinn was asleep when officers arrived. He denied having any of the woman’s belongings, according to the lawsuit.

Officer Antonio De La Torre became enraged and took Quinn into a family room, where the officer patted him down, pulled down his pants and punched him in the neck before dragging him outside, the lawsuit said.

Throughout the interrogation, De La Torre and Officer Andrei Bratiloveanu delivered several blows to Quinn’s neck and body, the lawsuit continues.

The city defended the officers’ actions, stating that Quinn became angry and began fighting with police when they patted him down, according to the city’s court filing.

The city determined that it would probably have cost about $50,000 to defend the case at trial, Harp said.

The city agreed to settle to avoid the possibility of having to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in case a jury voted in Quinn’s favor, Harp said.

Quinn’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

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