LOS ANGELES : Ex-L.A. Officer Awarded $626,000 Over Dismissal

A federal appeals court in San Francisco on Tuesday upheld $626,000 in damages to a Los Angeles policeman who was fired during a burglary investigation, and ruled that he may be entitled to get his job back.

Roger M. Gibson, a 16-year veteran, was fired in 1983 after a police board found that he had told lies to Internal Affairs investigators. But the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said a jury had found that he was fired for only one reason, which was invalid: refusing to allow an illegal search of his cars and garage.

Reversing a lower court ruling, the court said a federal judge must order Gibson rehired unless the judge finds reinstatement to be contrary to the public interest. The court also upheld damages against the Police Department and several officers for violations of Gibson’s rights to be informed about the grounds for his suspension, to have time to respond to the accusations, and to have a fair chance to clear his name.

The case stemmed from a 1982 police investigation of burglaries by officers in the Hollywood Division.