Officers’ lawsuits against city ordered to trial

Three lawsuits filed by current or former Los Angeles police officers will proceed to trial, a federal judge ordered Monday. The decision comes amid a breakdown in settlement talks with the city.

The three officers, and a fourth in a separate suit, allege they were falsely arrested and maliciously prosecuted during the Rampart Division corruption scandal. Attorneys expect the trial to start next May.

U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney acted after officials failed to approve a $16.85-million settlement that would have also resolved a $15-million verdict against the city. That verdict is now on appeal.