Image by getty images

The sheriff’s deputy who arrested actor Mel Gibson and was subjected to his anti-Semitic rant must be given his job back, a commission ruled.

The Los Angeles County’s Civil Service Commission ruled Wednesday that James Mee, who is Jewish, should never have been fired from his position following a 2011 incident in which a drunk driver Mee tried to stop crashed into a Santa Clarita gas station, the Los Angeles Times reported. Mee was accused of violating the department’s rules on pursuits.

Mee has said he was subject to religious discrimination and a hostile work environment after arresting Gibson in 2006 in Malibu, Calif., for driving while intoxicated.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

When Gibson was stopped on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on suspicion of driving under the influence, he asked Mee, “Are you a Jew?” and then ranted that “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” Mee included Gibson’s remarks in his initial report to illustrate how drunk the actor was, but said that superiors told him to put the Gibson slurs in a separate report not available to the public.

Mee claimed he was passed over for promotions because he complained about purging the report, ultimately ending in his firing.

“It has been a long three-year fight,” Richard A. Shinee, Mee’s attorney, told the Times. “This is 100% just because of that day he arrested Mel Gibson for drunk driving.”

He said the department fired Mee after the county paid him $50,000 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit Mee brought over his treatment following Gibson’s arrest.

Mee will receive back pay and benefits from the day of his firing in 2012.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount