By: Eye On Inglewood Staff Writer
The judge ruled in favor of the county, determining that sheriff's deputies did not have any obligations towards the plaintiff, who was intoxicated at the time.
Daniel Luna, the plaintiff, had initially filed the lawsuit against the Los Angeles Rams and his alleged assailant, Bryan Alexis Cifuentes. Luna's wife, Irene Sulencka, has also brought forward claims of loss of consortium. Cifuentes has maintained that he acted in self-defense during the confrontation with Luna.
In May 2023, Luna and Sulencka amended their complaint to include the city of Inglewood and the county as defendants. However, the city was later removed as a defendant in August 2022. On April 24, Judge Ronald F. Frank of the Inglewood Superior Court ruled in favor of the county, signing a judgment in their favor.
County lawyers were successful in persuading Judge Frank to dismiss the government entity as a defendant in Luna's lawsuit on February 28. The judge concluded that the county carried no liability in the case. Supporting their legal arguments, county lawyers presented surveillance footage showing that Luna had been denied entry to the stadium due to not having a ticket. The lawyers further noted that sheriff's deputies had no further contact with Luna after he was escorted away.
According to court documents, Luna admitted that after being denied entry, he joined a tailgate party, consumed alcohol to the point of intoxication, and initiated contact with Cifuentes prior to the altercation. The county attorneys highlighted this admission in their argument stating that public entities and law enforcement are not duty-bound to intoxicated individuals like Luna.
In contrast, Luna's attorneys contended that the deputies should have placed their client in a sobering cell or similar location given his intoxication. They argued that the failure to do so exposed Luna to the risk of physical harm. Luna's attorneys further claimed that the deputies placed him near groups of rival fans who were consuming large amounts of alcohol. However, Judge Frank ruled that the deputies had no duty of care towards Luna, emphasizing that they did not contribute to or exacerbate the risky situation he found himself in.
The lawsuit originated from an altercation on January 30, 2022, during the Rams versus 49ers game, where the winner would secure a spot in Super Bowl LVI. Luna allegedly approached a group of individuals outside the stadium, leading to a confrontation with Cifuentes, who allegedly punched Luna, causing him to fall to the ground.
Luna, who was wearing a 49ers jersey, was discovered in the parking lot by a security guard and subsequently taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. There, he was placed in a medically induced coma due to face and upper body injuries.
The assailant was eventually apprehended with the help of surveillance footage that captured his vehicle's license plate. Following Cifuentes' arrest, his acquaintances claimed that Luna had been the aggressor and appeared to be intoxicated.
Friends of Luna revealed that he traveled alone to Los Angeles for the game after other planned attendees canceled their plans. Luna is the owner of the Oakland Peruvian fusion restaurant, Mistura.
A nonjury trial for the case has been scheduled for December 16.
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