The incident, caught on camera, happened in January. After being pulled off, 18-year-old Bethany Nava was arrested and faced a charge of being loud or unruly on a train.
"I feel like I can breathe now. I feel like there was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders," Nava said Friday.
LAPD forces woman off train for refusing to move feet off seat
LAPD Officer Hutchings testified against Nava, telling the judge that the LAPD had ruled that he did not use excessive force against Nava. But the judge said the officer did not "de-escalate" the situation when he arrested her.
"He admitted that she wasn't loud or unruly or boisterous at all until he started to yank her off the train. So I think that sealed the deal," said Michael Carrillo, Nava's attorney.
The LAPD had deemed the officer's actions that day as appropriate. Still, Nava and her attorney have filed suit against the city of L.A.
"In the situation, I was terrified," Nava said. "I'm still terrified to talk about it. I'm still scared to talk to the police officer and be in the same room as him."