Jurors cause stir at council meeting

--Angelique Flores

The Fountain Valley City Council ended with some unexpected public

comments Tuesday night over a recent lawsuit against the city.

Capt. Phil Feyerabend of the Fountain Valley Fire Department brought a

lawsuit against the city two years ago for unlawful termination, after he

was bumped back to his position as captain during his probationary period

as battalion chief.

The trial ended two weeks ago with a 12-0 juror vote in favor of the

city. However, three jurors from the case came to address the council

about concerns they had about the trial. They said they questioned the

truthfulness of witnesses’ statements and the courtroom theatrics.

“This should not have been held out to public scrutiny,” Councilman John

Collins said. “It’s a shame dirty laundry was to be dried out in public.”

Councilman Chuck Conlosh asked the city to investigate the matter and

take action. However, other council members disagreed.

“I’m not sure that’s our job to find out how the jurors felt,” Mayor Guy

Carrozzo said.

If the jurors felt the city was wrong, they wouldn’t have voted 12-0, he

added.

One juror said the vote came out in favor of the city because the jury

did not believe any damage was rendered. However, the jurors said their

concerns were more with what occurred during the trial rather than with

the lawsuit.

“The end doesn’t justify the means,” Conlosh said. “If we do something

and fail to listen and learn from it, we’re not doing our jobs. We need

to be accountable for that.”