May V. San Mateo County Et Al

Case Background

On January 14, 2016, Richard Earl May, Jr filed a civil rights violation lawsuit before the United States District Court, California Northern (San Francisco). The case was assigned to Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler and referred to Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu (Settlement). [Case number: 3:16cv252]

Cause

On January 1, 2015, at around 10:00 p.m., Richard Earl May, Jr. was at the Mid-Peninsula Housing construction site at 1 Bloom Lane, Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County, California. He was there with a friend, “S,” to rescue S’s cat, Domino, trapped in a partially constructed building. At the time, May was 62 years old, and S was 73. Before entering the site, May and S tried to call the security company listed on a sign around the perimeter. The number was incorrect and reached a medical supply company in Ohio. Concerned for the cat’s safety, they entered the construction site to find Domino, whose meows they could hear. Once inside, S searched for a security guard but found none. After retrieving Domino, they walked toward the site’s fence to leave. Meanwhile, a security alarm had triggered, and SMCSO deputies, including Deputy Sanchez, and Defendants Michel and Laughlin, arrived and set up a perimeter around the site. Deputy Sanchez, Michel, and Laughlin, with Laughlin’s police canine, Riggs, a German Shepherd, entered the site. The area was well-lit, allowing them to see May from a distance. As May and S walked toward the fence, they heard a commotion and saw the approaching deputies and Riggs. They stopped to explain their presence. S was holding the cat, whi