SACRAMENTO : Bill Allows Damages for Group Threats

Groups and individuals that use threats and coercion to violate people’s constitutional rights would be “hit in the wallet, where it really hurts” by a bill overwhelmingly approved by the Assembly. Assemblyman Richard E. Floyd (D-Carson) offered the legislation as a means of curbing acts of violence and intimidation by groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Under current law, a court can grant an injunction against future violations of constitutional rights, but it cannot award damages to individuals involved.