WESTMINSTER

The City Council recently denied a $20-million wrongful death claim filed by a family who alleged that police and a county social worker contributed to the death of an 89-year-old man by forcibly removing him from his home and placing him in a hospital.

The Johnson family claimed that a police officer and county social worker entered their Cornell Avenue home without a warrant on June 19, 1998, based on a tip that family members were drugging John W. Johnson and his wife, Alice. According to the family attorney’s claim letter, the officer concluded after examining Johnson that he might have been on drugs and called paramedics to transport him to Los Alamitos Medical Center. He died several days later, after he was brought home, according to the attorney. A blood test at the hospital found no signs of drugs in his system.

“Essentially he was in a weakened condition and that sent him over the edge,” said the family’s attorney, Geoffrey C. Lyon of Huntington Beach.

The administrative claim is the precursor to a lawsuit, required as part of the process when dealing with a government agency, Lyon said. He said it is likely a suit will be filed. The claim was also filed with the Orange County Fire Authority, which sent the paramedics to the home, and the county Social Services Agency.

The Westminster City Council denied the claim based on advice from city staff. “We have no evidence to support any claim that our Police Department in any way contributed to his death,” City Atty. Richard Jones said in an interview. He added that he believes the city is only “peripherally involved” in the case, because the officer provided only backup to decisions made by the county social worker.

County claims manager Dennis Bunker, representing the Social Services Agency, and Orange County Fire Authority spokesman Capt. Scott Brown declined comment.