Trial Magazine

Shawn Casteel, a 20-year-veteran of the Riverside Police Department, was considered an exemplary officer. In 2013, citation and arrest quotas were set, and the department began comparing officers for the number of traffic citations they issued each month.

Casteel complained repeatedly about the quotas, both verbally and in writing, and went up the chain of command. He was then subjected to various disciplinary actions, including having unwarranted counseling sessions and being excluded from courses, denied shift requests, and placed on a daily log to track how many tickets he was writing.

Casteel sued the city of Riverside, alleging retaliation. The plaintiff asserted that the quota system violated state law prohibiting any requirement for making a certain number of arrests or issuing a specific number of citations.

The jury awarded $2.85 million.

Citation: Casteel v. City of Riverside, No. RIC 1906046 (Cal. Super. Ct. Riverside Cnty. Sept. 7, 2023).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Matthew S. McNicholas and Douglas Winter, both of Los Angeles.