Deputy who arrested Gibson settles with department

Mel Gibson. Photo by REUTERS/Kevork Djansezian

The sheriff’s deputy who arrested actor Mel Gibson and was the subject of his anti-Semitic rant is settling a religious discrimination case against his department.

James Mee, who is Jewish, says he was subject to religions discrimination and a hostile work environment after arresting Gibson in 2006.

Mee claims that his supervisors ordered him to remove Gibson’s anti-Semitic remarks from the official incident report, placing them instead in a confidential supplemental report. He claims he was passed over for promotions in the department because he complained about purging the report.

Mee’s attorneys said a $50,000 settlement was reached with the department, subject to approval by the county claims board.

A trial set to begin this week, at which it was rumored that Gibson could be called as a witness, was cancelled.