On May 30, 2017, plaintiff Chance DeNovo, a sailor on leave from the U.S. Navy, was driving on Wilmington Avenue, in Compton, when a traffic stop was initiated by Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriffs Christina Arnott and Justin Boulden. DeNovo claimed she was berated and harassed by the deputies. DeNovo sued Arnott; Boulden; the deputies’ supervisor, Sheriff James McDonnell; and the deputies’ employer, the County of Los Angeles. DeNovo alleged that the defendants’ actions constituted violations of her civil rights. Plaintiff’s counsel contended that the deputies held DeNovo in detention while they investigated whether she was a service member despite there being no suspicion of a potential crime. DeNovo claimed that she told Arnott and Boulden that she was currently on leave from the Navy, and provided them with her military identification, driver’s license and insurance, but that the deputies implied that she was lying about being a service member. She claimed one of the deputies, Arnott, told her that she doubted that she was a service member due to her tattoos and that Arnott continued to question her about her service. DeNovo claimed that as a result, she became afraid and called 911, but that she was ultimately placed in handcuffs by the other deputy, Boulden. DeNovo alleged that Boulden then called her leading petty officer and told him that she behaved unprofessionally. However, she claimed that Boulden ultimately removed her handcuffs, and she was told that she would not be given a citation because she was a service member. She alleged that the traffic stop lasted 31 minutes. Defense counsel contended that DeNovo was the subject of a routine traffic stop and that DeNovo was properly stopped for not having a license plate on her vehicle. However, the deputies claimed that DeNovo was uncooperative during the traffic stop and failed to produce proof of insurance. They also claimed that DeNovo produced one expired driver’s license and one paper temporary license. They further claimed that DeNovo’s military ID was old, faded and appeared potentially fake. The deputies alleged that DeNovo was only briefly detained in handcuffs while her documents were being authenticated, that DeNovo was released only with a warning and that whole traffic stop lasted 20 minutes. In response to the initial traffic stop, plaintiff’s counsel asserted that while DeNovo did not have a state license plate on her vehicle, DeNovo did have a conspicuous red operating permit, which operated as a license plate. Counsel contended that the permit was taped to the back window of DeNovo’s vehicle with the number seven on it, indicating that the permit did not expire until July., DeNovo claimed that she suffered from emotional distress as a result of the events. DeNovo sought recovery of damages for her emotional pain and suffering.