Judge orders Rooney to pay city’s legal fees

Sue Doyle

NEWPORT BEACH -- Laura Rooney, the daughter-in-law of actor Mickey

Rooney, was ordered Thursday to pay the city of Newport Beach $123,792 --

the cost of defense fees for an officer and two jailers sued by Rooney in

an excessive force lawsuit.

In addition, Orange County Superior Court Judge Tam Schumann determined

that Rooney filed her lawsuit in bad faith. On March 30, a jury rejected

Rooney’s excessive force claim against Newport Beach Police Officer

Spencer Arnold and jailers Timothy Steward and Troy Long.

Rooney, 53, of Hemet, claimed that the city employees broke her arm Sept.

2, 1997, when they allegedly pushed her against a wall in the Newport

Beach city jail.

Under federal law, if a person loses a lawsuit -- and a judge determines

that the lawsuit was filed in bad faith -- that person can be forced to

pay the legal costs for the defense, said attorney Bruce Praet, who

represented the city of Newport Beach.

Praet said the judge’s decision contained a message about perjury.

“I think this shows there are people out there who are willing to lie

about the police,” Praet said. “When you do that, it will cost you.”

Rooney in 1997 was arrested for drug possession after police found one

gram of crack cocaine in her trailer home. She later pleaded guilty to

the charges and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, plus three years

probation, but claimed the drugs weren’t hers.