The Abridged version:
- In December 2022, two brothers were killed in a traffic collision involving a detective with the Sacramento Police Department.
- A jury this week awarded $32.1 million in damages to the two children of one of the men, Juan Carlos Rodriguez, who was killed in the collision.
- It is the largest wrongful death award the city of Sacramento has had to pay, according to the attorney for the victim’s family.
The city of Sacramento will pay $32.1 million to the children of a Sacramento man killed in a collision involving a Sacramento Police Department detective, a jury decided this week.
In December 2022, two brothers were standing near their stalled truck in the shoulder of Interstate 5 and Sutterville Road when they were hit by an unmarked Sacramento police vehicle, court documents describe. The collision killed both Juan Carlos Rodriguez, 33, and Lionel Rodriguez, 32.
Detective sentenced to 120 days
The two men were struck by Detective Jonathan Nangle, whose vehicle drifted over the solid white line, without lights or a siren sounding, court documents state. Nangle was eventually found guilty of two counts of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to 120 days in the Sacramento County Jail, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The recent jury award comes at the close of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Juan Carlos Rodriguez’s family in 2023 in Sacramento County Superior Court.
Surviving children each awarded $15 million
On Tuesday, a Sacramento County jury arrived at a special verdict and awarded $2.1 million in economic damages to his two children, a young boy and a young girl. The jury award also includes $15 million for each child for the loss of their father’s “love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society, moral support, training and guidance,” court documents state.
A judgment for the case, including the $32.1 million jury award, was submitted by Judge Julie Weng-Gutierrez on Thursday.
“Carlos was a really present, loving father. The jury recognized that and ultimately held the city accountable for his death,” said John Demas, the attorney representing Juan Carlos Rodriguez’s children.
City remains ‘deeply saddened’ by deaths
“This case involves a profound tragedy, and the city remains deeply saddened by the loss of a father and the impact on his two children,” Gabby Miller, spokesperson for the city of Sacramento, said in a written statement.
“Because the city accepted responsibility and admitted liability in this motor vehicle accident, the role of the jury was specifically to exercise its duty within the judicial system to provide an award of just and fair compensation,” Miller said. “The jury has now discharged that duty. We respect the judicial process and the service of the members of the jury.”
Representatives from the Sacramento Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Largest wrongful death award the city has had to pay
The judgement amount is one of the largest wrongful death verdicts seen not just in Sacramento, but in Northern California, Demas said.
“This is the largest verdict or settlement the city of Sacramento has had to make,” Demas said.
The city is also finalizing its settlement with the family of Lionel Rodriguez, who left behind four children after he was killed in the traffic collision.
The verdict and settlement amounts are significantly higher than other wrongful death lawsuits the city of Sacramento has faced in recent years. In 2017, the city paid $9.75 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit following a collision where a police officer rear-ended a vehicle and killed a 9-month-old child. That case, which Demas also represented the plaintiffs in, was previously the largest wrongful death settlement to be paid by the city of Sacramento.
Other substantial cases against the city include the $4.1 million settlement paid to the family and children of Stephon Clark, who was shot to death by Sacramento police in 2018.
Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health care and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.