San Diego has signed off on a $25,000 payout to end a federal civil-rights lawsuit brought by Nicholas "Nick" Hoskins, who was recording a May 9, 2024, traffic stop when an officer smashed his car’s passenger-side window. The settlement, approved by the mayor’s office, resolves Hoskins’ claims that the stop and search violated his constitutional rights. Hoskins captured the encounter on his dashboard camera and later sued the city.
City records show the agreement calls for a $25,000 payment that Mayor Todd Gloria approved under his authority for smaller settlements, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The outlet reports that under the deal, Hoskins is responsible for his own attorney fees. The settlement ends his federal claims without the case ever reaching a jury.
Video Of The Stop
Hoskins’ dashboard footage from the Southcrest neighborhood shows officers walking up to his vehicle, followed by an officer repeatedly striking and ultimately shattering the passenger-side window before pulling him from the car, as described by Courthouse News Service. The lawsuit states that officers then searched the car without a warrant and took Hoskins to a downtown station, where he was cited for resisting arrest. His attorneys argue the recording depicts force that was excessive and unjustified.
Claims In Federal Court
In his federal complaint, Hoskins alleges violations of the Fourth Amendment and California’s Bane Act. The district court has allowed most of those claims to move forward, according to an order available on the docket at Justia. Judge Anthony Battaglia wrote that “A seizure conducted without a warrant is per se unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment — subject only to a few specifically established and well-delineated exceptions.” Court filings show Hoskins filed the suit in August 2024, and the case has been proceeding through routine discovery and scheduling.
Legal History
Hoskins first drew wider public attention when a 2014 conviction in a gang-related case was unanimously tossed by the California Supreme Court in 2022. The court held that celebrating violence on social media did not prove participation in a murder conspiracy, according to KPBS. The opinion, authored by Justice Leondra Kruger, cleared Hoskins legally of the earlier sentence and underpins his lawyers’ argument that he was unfairly targeted in later stops. Civil-rights attorneys say the new settlement highlights how video recordings can shift the balance in cases, even when prior criminal convictions have already been overturned.
What’s Next
The settlement closes out this federal action without a trial, but it does not include any judicial ruling on Hoskins’ allegations. Broader debates over police stops and vehicle searches in San Diego, however, are not going anywhere. The San Diego City Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to Courthouse News Service. Hoskins’ lawyers say he was seeking transparency and hoping to reduce the odds of similar encounters for others. For now, the city sidesteps further litigation at this stage, and the case is administratively wrapped up.
