A woman who alleged she was assaulted and battered at her home by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies while pregnant, without provocation and in front of her son has reached a settlement in her lawsuit against the county.
Diamond McDowell was seven-and-half months pregnant at the time of the April 20, 2023, confrontation and she later had complications delivering the boy, who is identified only as B.A.R.J., she said. Born in July 2023, he is one of two minor plaintiffs along with his 11-year-old brother, referred to in the Los Angeles Superior Court suit as S.X.M.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys filed court papers Friday with Judge Alison Mackenzie notifying her of an “unconditional” resolution of the case. No terms were revealed.
In their previous court papers, county attorneys denied the allegations, said they were barred by the statute of limitations and that McDowell resisted instructions and orders given to her by a deputy.
According to the suit, on the day of the event the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the county Department of Children and Family Services tried making contact with McDowell and S.X.M. at about 5 p.m. McDowell had requested DCFS assistance because she was a victim of domestic violence, the suit further states.
However, a miscommunication between McDowell and her social worker caused deputies to be sent to the plaintiffs’ home, the suit states. McDowell was cooking at the time and S.X.M., then 8 years old, was showering, the suit further states.
After McDowell questioned the deputies as to why they were there, she was slammed to the ground stomach-first after her arms were twisted behind her back, the suit states. The deputies allegedly put all their weight on the obviously pregnant McDowell, compounding the pain and extreme pressure in her stomach and creating potential risks to her unborn child, the suit alleges.
The deputies subsequently put a knee on McDowell, who objected to the tactics as her other son watched and asked the deputies to stop, according to the suit. McDowell was taken to a patrol car and S.X.M. ended up wandering in the street barefoot and in fear for more than an hour, according to the complaint.
McMcDowell had a difficult labor before delivering B.A.R.J. due to the alleged attack, the suit states. The suit was filed in May 2024 and alleged battery, false arrest, civil rights allegations, negligence and negligent hiring, training and supervision.