Judge Awards Former LAPD Commander $1.2 Million in Fees

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted former commander Nicole Mehringer's attorneys $1.2 million after a jury awarded her $5.7 million in her retaliation suit against the department.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Law Enforcement

Flat-color editorial illustration of a stone civic building facade with a flagpole against a cream sky, in deep red, cream, and slate grey. — A Los Angeles judge awarded $1.2 million in attorneys' fees to former LAPD Commander Nicole Mehringer after a jury returned a $5.7 million verdict in her retaliation suit. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Theresa M. Traber granted former LAPD Commander Nicole Mehringer $1.2 million in attorneys' fees. The fee award follows a jury verdict that awarded Mehringer $5.7 million in her retaliation suit against the Los Angeles Police Department.

Why it matters

The ruling sets the financial terms of a retaliation case in which a jury sided with a former police commander against the department. The fee award is less than the $1.55 million her lawyers requested, shaping what plaintiffs can recover in similar Los Angeles employment disputes.

The Los Angeles Superior Court has granted $1.2 million in attorneys' fees to Mehringer's lawyers, below the $1.55 million they requested. The source does not indicate whether an appeal has been filed by the department.

The players

Nicole Mehringer

A former Los Angeles Police Department commander who was terminated after a Board of Rights hearing and later won a retaliation verdict against the department.

Theresa M. Traber

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge who granted the attorneys' fee award in the Mehringer case.

Los Angeles Police Department

The Los Angeles city police agency that employed Mehringer and was found liable in her retaliation suit.

The details

Mehringer sued the LAPD on a retaliation theory and did not challenge the board's decision to discipline her after she was terminated following a Board of Rights hearing. Her attorneys filed several motions to obtain internal records to support the claim, and her lead attorney, Gregory Smith, has practiced employment law for more than 35 years.

2018: Mehringer was found passed out and drunk in a police vehicle that crashed into a parked car in Glendale.
March 18: A jury reached its verdict in about 90 minutes, awarding Mehringer $5.7 million.
Tuesday: Judge Theresa M. Traber granted the $1.2 million attorneys' fee award.

Legal Context

Mehringer's retaliation claim proceeded even though she did not contest the Board of Rights decision to discipline her. Her case contended she was treated more harshly than male counterparts involved in similar situations while under the influence.

The ruling affects how retaliation claims by Los Angeles police personnel are valued and litigated in the city's courts. Residents of Los Angeles may see the outcome reflected in how the LAPD handles internal discipline disputes going forward.

The takeaway

Civil awards in police retaliation cases can exceed the underlying discipline dispute, making internal personnel records and hearing outcomes central to litigation. Readers following the Los Angeles Police Department can track how this fee award shapes future settlements.