Oakland councilwoman claims city bungled case against her

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An Oakland councilwoman has filed a claim against the city alleging the City Attorney’s Office botched its case representing her from a lawsuit filed by a former Black Panther leader.

The East Bay Times reports Councilwoman Desley Brooks filed her claim Tuesday, nearly 10 months after a jury found Brooks pushed and punched Elaine Brown and ordered the city and Brooks to pay the former black panther $4 million in damages.

A judge later lowered the figure to $1.2 million with Brooks ordered to pay $75,000 of that.

Brooks’ attorney, Dan Siegel, says evidence not presented at trial shows Brooks acted in self-defense.

City Attorney spokesman Alex Katzs says the office defended the case professionally and diligently and that Brook’s claim is “full of inaccuracies and falsehoods.”

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Information from: East Bay Times, http://www.eastbaytimes.com