New development in Bay Area law enforcement misconduct scandal

The young woman at the heart of a sprawling misconduct scandal involving multiple Bay Area law enforcement officers has dropped a lawsuit against Contra Costa County sheriff’s officials, weeks after a criminal case against a former deputy she said sexually exploited her was dismissed.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston dismissed the suit and ordered each party to bear its cost and fees, according to documents filed Monday in San Francisco federal court.

The 20-year-old woman, who prefers to go by the name Jasmine and previously used the pseudonym Celeste Guap, filed the civil suit in August against Contra Costa County, naming Sheriff David Livingston and former sheriff’s Deputy Ricardo Perez as defendants.

The legal action alleged Perez engaged in a “quid pro quo” sexual relationship with Jasmine while she was underage. Livingston was accused of failing in his responsibility as sheriff to ensure Perez was versed in California laws on child abuse and child sex trafficking.

Perez, 29, resigned from the force in June 2016 as the depth of the scandal came to light. About three months after his resignation, he was charged with unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation with a minor, as well as engaging in lewd conduct in public.

But on Oct. 4, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jon Rolefson tossed the criminal case, citing insufficient evidence that Perez knew Jasmine was a juvenile or that their contact occurred in a public venue.

Attorney John Burris, who represents Jasmine, said the civil suit was dropped in part because they “didn’t want to chase a rabbit hole” after the criminal ruling.

“We were motivated largely by the judge’s decision in the criminal case,” Burris said Wednesday. “There was an issue of proof.”

The now-dismissed civil suit claimed Perez had sex with the girl multiple times when she was 17, and that she had told him she was underage.

In May, the city of Oakland awarded Jasmine $989,000 to settle a case against its police officers.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment Wednesday.

Sheriff Livingston said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed in August that Perez “was fully trained on his requirement to report suspected child abuse and certified so in training documents. He is now properly facing criminal charges and we will vigorously defend this lawsuit.”

Perez was among six East Bay law enforcement officers charged by the Alameda County district attorney’s office in connection with the scandal. The misconduct became public in 2015 after Oakland police Officer Brendan O’Brien committed suicide and left a note detailing his and other officers’ relationship with Jasmine, the daughter of an Oakland police dispatcher.

Inadequate evidence led to three of the cases being dismissed or charges being dropped. Only one case awaits trial after two defendants, a former Livermore police officer and a former Oakland police sergeant, opted for plea bargains.

Jasmine still has an ongoing suit against the Richmond Police Department, naming Chief Allywn Brown, former Chief Chris Magnus, internal affairs supervisor Lt. Brian Dickerson and five officers as defendants.