Ex-Chief Won’t Pay Damages for Newspapers’ Seizure

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal jury has waived punitive damages against former Police Chief Richard Hongisto over his 1992 sweep of a newspaper’s racks.

Hongisto was fired two years ago after officers collected 2,000 copies of a Bay Times edition that featured an unflattering caricature of him, but has denied he acted with malice.

“It’s particularly gratifying, to know they believed me on that,” Hongisto said after Tuesday’s decision. “It’s a small consolation; this incident has ruined my life.”

Last week the jury found Hongisto had violated Bay Times publisher Kim Corsaro’s civil rights, and ordered San Francisco to pay $35,600 in damages. The city also will pay all attorneys’ fees, which could reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Tuesday’s hearing concerned whether Hongisto should pay damages. After hearing evidence for two hours, jurors took only eight minutes to decide he should not.

Defense attorney Robert Moore said jurors were swayed by U.S. District Judge Lowell Jensen’s instructions that they could assign punitive damages only if they thought the ex-chief was motivated by malice.