Arevalo v. Palo Alto Police Department

Background

The parties submitted a stipulated request to dismiss the remainder of the case after reaching a settlement. The opinion states that the individual defendants had previously been dismissed. The remaining defendant was the City of Palo Alto, also sued as the “Palo Alto Police Department,” along with any remaining defendants, including unnamed “Doe” defendants.

Settlement Terms

The settlement terms were placed on the record before Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler on May 18, 2022. The City agreed to pay Julio Arevalo $150,000. Arevalo agreed to release all defendants and associated parties that were named or could have been named in the action. Arevalo and The Gordon Law Group agreed to bear any liens that might exist, including liens for medical care or attorney’s fees. The defendants disputed liability, and the settlement payment was not to be treated as an admission of liability.

Ruling

The court ordered that it, specifically including Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler, would retain jurisdiction under the Supreme Court’s decision in Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America to enforce the settlement terms. It also ordered the City of Palo Alto and all remaining defendants, including the Doe defendants, dismissed with prejudice under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1). Judge Charles Breyer’s identification is based on the supplied case metadata; the extracted signature line itself does not clearly display the judge’s name.