Three Black Lives Matter demonstrators confronted at gunpoint by former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey's late husband have settled their part of the case against county's top prosecutor.
The plaintiffs in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit are Melina Abdullah, Dahlia Ferlito and Justin Marks. In court papers filed Thursday with Judge Theresa M. Traber, the plaintiffs' attorneys state that in light of their clients' acceptance of Jackie Lacey's compromise settlement offer -- the terms of which were not divulged -- the only remaining causes of action are against the estate of David Lacey for assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Trial is scheduled Aug. 1.
Abdullah is a professor and former chair of the Department of Pan- African Studies at Cal State Los Angeles and a co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter. Lacey was criticized by Abdullah and other activists for declining to prosecute some law enforcement officers involved in fatal on-duty shootings during her two terms in office.
For several years, protesters, including BLM members, gathered in the hundreds outside the Hall of Justice, where Lacey's office was located, every Wednesday to protest against Lacey, some with signs, noise amplifiers and drums, while chanting slogans such as, "Bye, Jackie" and "Jackie Lacey Must Go."
The confrontation occurred when members of the group showed up at the couple's Granada Hills residence the morning of March 2, 2020. The plaintiffs went to the Laceys' home seeking to confront her for allegedly refusing to meet with them.
Lacey's husband, David Lacey, opened the door after the plaintiffs rang the bell. Video images show him pointing a gun and saying he would shoot if the visitors did not get off his porch. David Lacey died Sept. 5.
The encounter at the Lacey home occurred a day before Lacey -- now 66 years old and the first woman and first Black prosecutor to hold the top post since the office was created in 1850 -- was forced into a runoff with former San Francisco County District Attorney George Gascón, who ultimately was elected.
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