A tentative settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit filed by one of the victims of a San Diego police officer convicted of soliciting sexual favors from women during traffic stops in the Gaslamp Quarter, an attorney for the city said Thursday.
A notice of the proposed settlement in the case of "Jane Doe" against former Officer Anthony Arevalos and the city of San Diego was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, lawyer Mitchell Dean said.
"We've reached a tentative settlement, but some things still need to be worked out," Dean told City News Service. "Until those things are worked out, we won't have any comment."
The 18-year veteran officer was convicted in November 2011 of felony and misdemeanor charges involving five women he stopped in the Gaslamp Quarter, including multiple counts of sexual battery by restraint, asking for a bribe, and assault and battery by a police officer. He was acquitted of other serious charges involving two women.
The victim, identified as Jane Doe because of the nature of her allegations, testified in Arevalos' criminal trial that he forced her into a convenience store restroom in March 2011 and demanded that she give him her panties and show her breasts. He also placed his finger in her vaginal area, she said.
The settlement in the civil case, first reported by U-T San Diego, comes around two weeks before a trial was scheduled to begin. The agreement is scheduled to be considered by the San Diego City Council in closed session at a special meeting set for Aug. 7.
Dean said the parties involved were satisfied with the provisions of the deal enough to inform U.S. District Judge Michael Anello. Once the details are worked out, the various sides plan to issue a joint statement.
The City Council has approved about a dozen settlements with women connected to the case.
Anello has canceled future court dates, Dean said.
Doe's representatives, who include San Diego attorneys Linda Workman and Joseph Dicks and Los Angeles lawyers Andrew Speilberger and Daniel Balaban, did not immediately return phone calls.
