A federal judge has given former Salt Lake police officer Robert Joseph until Jan. 16, 2001, to serve the city's former mayor and police chief with a civil-rights lawsuit.
Now he just has to find them.
As part of his two-page order dated Nov. 16, U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball also ruled the city was not required to accept the lawsuit on behalf of former Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini and former Police Chief Ruben Ortega or divulge their whereabouts.
During a Nov. 14 hearing, Joseph's attorney, David Oliver, said the city had refused to release their current addresses. Attorneys for the city, however, claimed they didn't know the addresses because the two were no longer in office when Joseph filed the lawsuit in April.
City attorney Martha Stonebrook declined comment on Kimball's latest order, but Oliver said he is confident the city will help him find Corradini and Ortega.
"I think, in reality, the city will ultimately disclose their location to us," Oliver said.
Joseph filed the lawsuit in federal court against Corradini and Ortega as well as current mayor Rocky Anderson; Assistant Police Chief A.M. "Mac" Connole; Sgt. Jerry Mendez, chief of the Salt Lake detective division; and 20 John Does, claiming they led a conspiracy to make an example of him.
Joseph was dismissed for using excessive force during a March 26, 1999, traffic stop in which he fired at fleeing motorist Wesley Scott. Joseph was rehired in January, then fired again in March.
In his order, Kimball also denied the city's motion to dismiss Joseph's lawsuit for failure to take action. Joseph had gone several months without an attorney since filing the case but recently retained Oliver.
After the March 1999 incident, Joseph, a two-year department veteran, was charged with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, for shooting at Scott. Joseph fired 11 times at Scott after pulling him over at 2300 South and 700 East, where the officer said Scott took off in his car and attempted to run him over. The aggravated-assault charges were later dismissed.
Earlier this month, the Peace Officers Standards and Training Academy cleared Joseph of any wrongdoing in the incident. Joseph has also taken his case to the U.S. Department of Justice, Utah Court of Appeals and the Civil Service Commission.
E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com