Townsend Complaint - Civil Rights Violations Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 - Demand for Jury Trial

Oct 22, 2026

Federal civil complaint by Cherie Townsend and Jalen Lapree Hamler against multiple individual defendants and public entities, asserting civil rights violations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The pleading alleges false arrest and false imprisonment, unlawful search and seizure, violation of substantive due process, defamation-plus liability, and municipal liability under Monell, alongside California state law claims including the Bane Act and related torts. It seeks damages and a jury trial based on alleged misconduct, inadequate investigation, and publicity identifying Townsend as the suspect despite limited evidence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Civil Rights Violations

State Law Claims

Demand for Jury Trial

Case 2:18-cv-10011-R-MAA Document 1 Filed 11/29/18 Page 1 of 30 Page ID \#:1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 NAZARETH M. HAYSBERT [CA SBN 294431] nazareth@hmlaw.la JAMES L. MOULTRIE III [CA SBN 296805] HAYSBERT MOULTRIE, LLP 633 West Fifth Street, 28th Floor Los Angeles, California 90071 Tel: (213) 533-4130 Fax: (310) 424-7140 Attorneys for Plaintiffs UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA CHERIE TOWNSEND, an individual; JALEN LAPREE HAMLER, an individual, Plaintiffs, V. JIM MCDONNELL, an individual; CHRISTOPHER BERGNER, an individual; MARCELO QUINTERO, an individual; MICHAEL AUSTIN, an individual; LOS ANGELES COUNTY, a public entity; LOS ANGELES SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, a public entity; SUSAN BROOKS, an individual; THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES, a public entity; BRITT HUFF, an individual; THE CITY OF ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, a public entity; and DOES 1-20, inclusive, Defendants. )) )) )) )) )) )) )) )) )) )) )) )) ) Case No. COMPLAINT FOR DAMAGES: CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS PURSUANT TO 42 U.S.C. § 1983 1. False Arrest/False Imprisonment; 2. Unlawful Search and Seizure; 3. Violation of Substantive Due Process; 4. Defamation-Plus Liability; 5. Monell Liability; STATE LAW CLAIMS 6. Bane Act Liability; 7. False Imprisonment; 8. Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress; 9. Negligent Investigation; 10.Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress; 11.Defamation. DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL 1 COMPLAINT Case 2:18-cv-10011-R-MAA Document 1 Filed 11/29/18 Page 2 of 30 Page ID \#:2 1 CHERIE TOWNSEND, an individual, (“Plaintiff Townsend” or “Ms. 2 Townsend”), and JALEN LAPREE HAMLER, an individual,(“Plaintiff Hamler” or 3 “Mr. Hamler”) (collectively “Plaintiffs”), by and through undersigned counsel, 4 hereby demand a trial by jury and allege the following against Defendants Jim 5 McDonnell, an individual, Christopher Bergner, an individual, Marcelo Quintero, an 6 individual, Michael Austin, an individual, Los Angeles County, a public entity, Los 7 Angeles Sheriff’s Department, a public entity, Susan Brooks, an individual, The City 8 of Rancho Palos Verdes, a public entity, Britt Huff, an individual, The City of 9 Rolling Hills Estates, a public entity, And DOES 1 through 20, inclusive, on 10 information and belief except for information identified as being based on personal 11 knowledge, which allegations are likely to have evidentiary support after a 12 reasonable opportunity for further discovery. 13 I. 14 INTRODUCTION 15 1. On May 16, 2018, at approximately 11:00 p.m., Cherie Townsend, a 16 40- year-old woman of African-American descent and mother of two minor 17 children, was pulled over on the 10 Freeway near Pomona and was arrested at 18 gunpoint by officers of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for the 19 murder of a woman at the Promenade Mall in the City of Rolling Hills Estates, 20 which had occurred on May 3, 2018. Ms. Townsend was placed in a recorded cell 21 with an undercover law enforcement officer, underwent forensic tests, and was 22 viciously interrogated by several members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s 23 Department, including Sergeants Marcelo Quintero and Michael Austin. 24 2. On May 18, 2018, representatives of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s 25 Department, including Sheriff Jim McDonnell, and Captain Christopher Bergner, 26 and Britt Huff, Mayor of the City of Rolling Hills Estates, held a press conference 27 identifying Ms. Townsend by name as the arrestee and sole suspect in the murder, 28 despite the limited investigation that was conducted to that point. 2 COMPLAINT Case 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | | 2:18-cv-10011-R-MAA Document 1 Filed 11/29/18 Pag

FAQs

Who are the plaintiffs and who are the defendants?

Cherie Townsend and Jalen Lapree Hamler are the plaintiffs. Defendants include several individuals and public entities, including Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, as well as cities and additional unnamed defendants (DOES 1-20).

What civil rights violations does the complaint allege under 42 U.S.C. § 1983?

The complaint alleges false arrest/false imprisonment, unlawful search and seizure, violation of substantive due process, defamation-plus liability, and Monell liability for municipal responsibility.

What state law claims are asserted?

The complaint lists state law claims including the Bane Act, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent investigation, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and defamation.

Oct 22, 2026

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