After more than a decade of legal battles, San Diego County has agreed this week to pay $6.5 million to settle a federal civil-rights lawsuit brought by Mickail Myles, who says he was beaten by a sheriff’s deputy and bitten by the deputy’s K‑9 during a 2014 traffic stop. The settlement agreement, filed in federal court, divides the payout into two installments with deadlines in March and July 2026 and brings the long-running case to a close.
The stipulation filed with the court requires the county to pay $3,000,000 by March 2, 2026, and another $3,500,000 by July 15. It also states that the agreement waives any future claims by the parties and resolves both Myles’ damages claim and related attorney requests in federal court, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The 2014 encounter
Court records describe a September 2014 traffic stop near Fallbrook in which deputies ordered Myles out of his car and then restrained him on the ground. During that encounter, Deputy Jeremy Banks punched Myles, and the deputy’s K‑9, named Bubo, bit him while he was being held, according to the filings. Myles was treated afterward for lacerations and other injuries and later sued the county and the deputy in federal court. Those factual findings and witness accounts are detailed in the U.S. District Court filings.
Appeals court trimmed the verdict
A federal jury initially awarded Myles $5 million in damages, but the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed part of that outcome in 2025. The appellate panel ordered the trial court to give Myles a choice between accepting a remittitur or facing a new trial limited to damages, and it set a $1.5 million cap on recoverable compensatory damages. The court also vacated a lower-court award of nearly $5.8 million in attorneys’ fees. The opinion explaining those rulings is on record with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Discovery fight and sanctions
Pretrial orders show the case was marked by bitter discovery disputes. Judges found that the county had withheld materials that were responsive to Myles’ requests, including internal reports and surveillance details, and they imposed discovery-related sanctions that limited what arguments and defenses the jury would ultimately hear. Those rulings, which became a central feature of the litigation, were cited repeatedly in post-trial motions and on appeal. The dispute over withheld documents and the resulting sanctions is described in detail in the U.S. District Court filings.
Settlement closes a contentious chapter
According to a report by The San Diego Union-Tribune, the joint stipulation resolves both the remaining dispute over damages and the related fee claims, and provides that the parties will release each other from any further claims arising from the judgment. The paper also notes that the case lands in the context of years of mounting sheriff’s office payouts and legal costs, with a recent Union-Tribune analysis finding that more than $250 million has flowed through the county’s public liability fund since about 2015–16…