County to pay man $125,000 in false-arrest case

Almost a third of total will go to son of Westlake Village resident who had alibi.

Ventura County Star (California) March 30, 2002 Saturday

March 30, 2002 Saturday

Ventura County will pay $125,000 to settle a false-arrest lawsuit filed by a Westlake Village man accused of beating his former wife in 1999.

County supervisors agreed in a closed-door session on March 19 to pay Lee Mannheimer $125,000, said John Burton, Mannheimer's Pasadena-based attorney.

The settlement is subject to a federal judge's approval because $40,000 of the total figure goes to Mannheimer's 11-year-old son, Maxx. The money will be used for the boy's college education, Burton said.

Burton said he was confident the so-called "minor's compromise" would be approved because a federal magistrate oversaw an all-day conference to hammer out an agreement between Mannheimer and the county. Burton expects that decision within a month.

Burton called the settlement "absolutely" fair and described his client as "happy."

"A good settlement means both sides leave equally unhappy," Burton said. "In that sense, he's happy. It was a real compromise and a case with significant potential for large damages.

"It was also a case where strong arguments could be made on the other side."

Burton declined to say what dollar figure Mannheimer had sought. The lawsuit filed in July sought unspecified damages.

Alan Wisotsky, the Oxnard attorney representing the county, also called the settlement fair. Had it gone to court, a verdict could have forced the county to pay Burton's attorney's fees, giving Mannheimer a substantially higher settlement, Wisotsky said.

"That, in large part, is why the compromise was reached," Wisotsky said.

Mannheimer, 59, was arrested in October 1999 on suspicion of attempted murder after his former wife, Linda Morrisset, was nearly bludgeoned to death a month earlier in her Santa Rosa Valley home. After waking from a coma, she identified Mannheimer as her assailant, police said.

Authorities, however, released Mannheimer after four days in jail. Mannheimer and his son sued the county, Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Bob Brooks and two deputies for false arrest and lack of sufficient evidence. The suit also charged Mannheimer was arrested despite a sufficient alibi.

Mannheimer also was investigated over an alleged 1993 murder-for-hire plot against Morrisset. Mannheimer denied any involvement. The investigation later was dropped