(JTA) — The sheriff’s deputy who arrested actor Mel Gibson and was subjected to his anti-Semitic rant settled a religious discrimination case against his department.
Attorneys for James Mee, who is Jewish, said a $50,000 settlement was reached with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, subject to approval by the county claims board.
Mee said he was subject to religious discrimination and a hostile work environment after arresting Gibson in 2006 in Malibu, Calif., for driving while intoxicated. He claimed that his supervisors ordered him to remove Gibson’s anti-Semitic remarks from the official incident report, placing them instead in a confidential supplemental report, and was passed over for promotions because he complained about purging the report.
A trial set to begin this week was canceled. It was rumored that Gibson could be called as a witness.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.