Los Angeles County Agrees to $700,000 Settlement for Detained Journalist, Implements New Journalist Protection Measures

Settlement resolves dispute over the unlawful arrest of reporter Josie Huang while covering a protest in 2020, with terms requiring increased training among local law enforcement officials to prevent similar infringements on press rights.

Los Angeles County has agreed to a $700,000 settlement with Josie Huang, a journalist for LAist, who was arrested while covering a protest in 2020. The settlement is said to be the largest award to an individual journalist whose rights were violated in connection with protest coverage.
The settlement obliges the sheriff’s department to increase training on the press’s rights, issuing guidance to all employees regarding appropriate interactions with journalists and briefing personnel on these rights ahead of patrol assignments.
Huang was arrested while filming sheriff’s deputies responding to a peaceful protest in Lynwood, California. Despite identifying herself as a journalist and wearing a press pass, she was allegedly not given time to comply with orders to 'back up' and was forcefully detained.
The sheriff’s department falsely accused Huang of obstructing a peace officer and interfering with the arrest of a protester. However, the charges were dropped after the Reporters Committee and a group of 65 media organizations urged the department to do so, and the DA's office found no evidence that she was obstructing deputies' duties.
Despite the settlement, the county and sheriff’s department did not admit any wrongdoing. According to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the incident was thoroughly investigated internally, but no comment was made on any sanctions against the deputies involved.