SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — Several California law enforcement officers are facing a lawsuit after the shooting death of a person who allegedly suffered mental health issues.
The Estate of Christopher Temple and Amber Smith filed a complaint Aug 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California against County of Placer, Placer County Sheriff's Office, Wayne Woo, Michael Cody, Melissa Adams and Claudell Vaughan alleging excessive force, negligence, wrongful death and other claims.
According to the plaintiffs' complaint, Temple, who suffered from mental health and substance abuse issues, was pulled over by Placer County sheriff's deputies on Jan. 10, 2023. They claim the defendant deputies knew or should have known Temple suffered from mental illness.
The plaintiffs claim in their suit that Temple was shot multiple times by Cody, Adams and Vaughan as he exited his vehicle. The plaintiffs further claim Temple did not pose a threat at the time he was shot and that the defendants failed to use appropriate law enforcement techniques.
They also claim Temple did not receive adequate post-shooting medical care due to being handcuffed with his arms behind his back and died at the scene. The plaintiffs allege the defendants' actions also violated the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act. They also allege the defendants violated Temple's civil rights.
The deputies claimed Temple "engaged in an armed confrontation" as they tried to calm the situation.
The plaintiffs seek monetary relief, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Mark Merin and Paul Masuhara of The Law Office of Mark E. Merin in Sacramento.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California case number 2:23-CV-01713-JAM-CKD