Orange County supervisors have approved an $8.75 million settlement for a lawsuit brought by a couple who were seriously injured when an Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy crashed into their SUV while speeding in a department vehicle.
The two-vehicle collision at 17th and McClay streets in Santa Ana on Dec. 29, 2023 left Megan Doan and Jan Tan “significantly injured,” according to their lawsuit.
Attorneys for Doan and Tan alleged that the deputy was driving nearly twice the speed limit, without his lights and sirens, while looking for a place to eat when he crashed into the young couple.
“The evidence was clear: Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremiah Peyus was driving at a dangerously excessive speed, with no emergency and no justification,” Attorney Robert Glassman, who represented the couple, said in a statement. “Megan and Jan have endured devastating physical and emotional harm because of that conduct…
“We were prepared to take their case to a jury, and the Board of Supervisors’ unanimous approval of this $8.75 million settlement represents meaningful accountability,” Glassman added. “No settlement can undo what they have suffered, but this resolution provides resources to help them move forward and reinforces a fundamental principle: law enforcement officers must follow the laws they are sworn to uphold.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department declined to comment on Thursday about the lawsuit or the settlement.
In a court filing, attorneys for the county acknowledged that the deputy was driving his unmarked sheriff vehicle about 64 mph in a 35 mph zone. Attorneys for the couple say Doan was making a legal left turn with her 2024 Honda HR-V when the deputy crashed into the SUV.
Doan and Tan, her boyfriend who was in the front passenger seat of the SUV, were knocked unconscious in the crash and taken to a hospital with “severe and life-changing injuries,” according to their lawsuit
The lawsuit alleged that the Sheriff’s Department in an internal report omitted mentioning the speed the deputy was driving and shifted the blame to Doan, describing it as “not preventable” on the deputy’s part.
But, attorneys for the women say, a Santa Ana Police Department investigation blamed the deputy’s speed for the crash and found him at fault. Attorneys representing the county acknowledged in a court filing that the deputy was negligent.
The settlement comes on the eve of a trial where a jury was expected to decide whether the county was responsible for the crash and whether they should pay the women financial damages.
A spokeswoman for the county declined to comment on the lawsuit or settlement, citing policy not to discuss pending litigation.
Attorneys say the couple are still dealing with the injuries they sustained in the crash. Doan suffered a rare, permanently disabling nerve injury that requires multiple surgeries, her attorneys say, while Tan sustained multiple spinal and pelvic fractures, a moderate traumatic brain injury and chronic pain.