Lawyer Gets Max Fine for Violating Protective Order in Racial Discrimination Case
A San Francisco lawyer has been fined $1,500 for producing and distributing a DVD containing deposition testimony a judge had ordered sealed in a highly charged racial discrimination suit against a suburban police department.
Christopher Dolan, a prominent personal injury attorney, is also being investigated for possible misconduct by the State Bar of California, according to a report Thursday in the San Jose Mercury News.
Dolan represents seven high-ranking black police officers in a racial discrimination suit against the Richmond, Calif., Police Department and Police Chief Chris Magnus and others. The suit alleges that Magnus discriminated against the seven officers, made racist remarks and retaliated against them when they complained.
Dolan was fined Monday by Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Barry Goode for distributing to the media a two-hour DVD compilation containing material from an investigator’s report into the allegations the judge had previously ordered sealed.
Goode rejected Dolan’s argument that he didn’t realize he was violating the order when he released the DVD to the media.
