Lawyer Sues Judge, Police for $400,000 : Trial: A deputy public defender says he was injured when two officers dragged him before a Van Nuys Superior Court judge.

A Van Nuys Superior Court judge and two Los Angeles police officers were sued Monday by a deputy public defender whom the officers dragged from another judge’s courtroom.

Howard Waco filed suit in U.S. District Court seeking $400,000 damages for the Nov. 6 incident in which he was dragged into the Van Nuys courtroom of Judge Raymond Mireles.

In addition to Mireles, the suit charges that officers Gregory Baltad and Nicholas Titiriga pulled Waco out of Judge Alan Haber’s court, even though they knew Waco was appearing before Haber on another matter.

The suit alleges that Mireles was “angered by the absence of attorneys in his courtroom at the initial call of his morning calendar” and ordered the officers to “forcibly” bring Waco into his courtroom.

Waco’s suit claims that Mireles knew that the only case in his court in which Waco was scheduled to appear involved a defendant whom the judge knew would not arrive until the afternoon.

Nevertheless, the suit alleges, Mireles ordered the two officers to fetch Waco. He said he was pulled from Haber’s courtroom by the officers, who cursed him and and slammed him “violently against and through the doors” of Mireles’ courtroom, the suit maintains.

Waco, a deputy public defender for 24 years, said he suffered “great bodily injuries,” including “huge and painful bruises and abrasions to his lower left leg” and injuries to his back.

In addition to $250,000 in general damages, the suit seeks $100,000 in damages from Mireles and $25,000 from each of the officers.

Haber held a contempt of court hearing for the two officers, but declined to initiate proceedings after they apologized to him. They did not apologize to Waco.

Public Defender Wilbur F. Littlefield reacted by instructing all of his deputies to file affidavits of prejudice if assigned to a case heard by Mireles, a boycott intended to force Mireles out of the criminal justice system and into a civil court assignment. The Van Nuys Superior Court presiding judge in turn declared that Mireles will no longer be assigned cases in which public defenders appear.