Settlements

In August 2018, Columbus Division of Police Officer Brandon Harmon arrested Standifer on an outstanding warrant for a traffic violation. At the time of the arrest, which included Harmon taking Standifer to the ground, Standifer had unhealed injuries from an unrelated car accident months earlier. Following his arrest and detention in the Franklin County Jail, Standifer went to the emergency room with pain from injuries sustained from Harmon’s use of excessive force. At the hospital, Standifer was diagnosed with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

Two Austin Police officers, Richard Egal and Maxwell Johnson, shot and killed Nobles in May 2017. The civil lawsuit was tried in federal court before a jury, which recommended a total of $67 million in damages. Following judicial intervention and further negotiations, the City and the family settled the case for $3.3 million.

The vigil honored Elijah McClain, who died in August 2019 days after being placed in a carotid hold by officers and administered ketamine by paramedics. Under the direction of then-Police Chief Vanessa Wilson, Aurora Police declared the peaceful June 2020 vigil “unlawful” and deployed officers from multiple agencies. The lawsuit claimed that officers “indiscriminately deployed chemical agents,” wielded batons, and shot projectiles at the crowd.

The lawsuit, which had been in the midst of a federal trial at the time of the settlement, accused officers of using aggressive tactics against demonstrators, including journalists.

A special grand jury previously cleared Mercer of any criminal charges, and an internal IMPD review found no policy violations during the vehicle and foot pursuit and exchange of gunfire that resulted in Reed’s death. However, Reed’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the IMPD, leading to the settlement. The case was one of several lawsuits Indianapolis settled in recent years related to allegations of excessive force and civil rights violations by IMPD officers.

During a Black Lives Matter protest on May 30, 2020, law enforcement shot Gasca multiple times with pepper balls in her arm and both thighs even though she was wearing a clearly marked observer vest and was attempting to document police actions during the protest. Her federal lawsuit alleged that Reno Police violated her rights under the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments by using excessive force and chilling her right to peaceably assemble. Gasca also said the incident caused post-traumatic stress disorder, which she managed through therapy.

Garrett was wrongfully convicted in 2004 for the 2000 killing of Velma Tharpe. He was convicted despite DNA evidence and internal conclusions by the District Attorney’s office and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department as early as 2001 suggesting that he may be innocent. Garrett’s conviction was vacated in 2021 after the Conviction Review Unit of the District Attorney’s office uncovered misconduct such as fabricated confessions, the suppression of DNA evidence linking another man to the crime, and failures by top officials to act on exculpatory findings. Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn sharply criticized the District Attorney’s office and police for what he called “malfeasance,” noting that they knowingly left an innocent man in prison. The $1.2 million settlement marked the largest wrongful conviction payout in Nashville’s history.

The passengers filed a lawsuit alleging that Honolulu Police Department (HPD) Officers Joshua Nahulu, Erik Smith, and Jake Bartolome conducted an illegal police chase that caused the crash, which led to serious injuries for the passengers such as broken ribs, spinal fractures, and permanent eye damage. Surveillance footage captured most of the chase. The settlement, approved by the City Council’s Executive Matters and Legal Affairs Committee, was awaiting full Council approval as of February 2023. Separate lawsuits from a teen left paralyzed and the driver of the vehicle—who suffered permanent brain injuries—were still pending and could make this one of HPD’s most expensive police pursuit cases.

In January 2020, Celestine was taking a phone call outside his friend’s home when an NOPD officer began surveilling him on a monitor about a mile away at the Real Time Crime Center, which has access to more than 1,200 live feeds from cameras across the city. The surveillance feed led to Celestine’s arrest because officers saw a “bulge” in his jacket and thought he had a weapon. Celestine spent a year in jail in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic before the District Attorney’s office dropped all charges against him in January 2021. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Celestine sued the NOPD for a litany of alleged abuses, including an unlawful stop, false arrest, and excessive force.

On August 29, 2018, Mayville Police Officer Nicholas Weber arrested Polzin for alleged disorderly conduct. Polzin asked Weber to loosen his handcuffs, but it is unclear whether Weber sufficiently loosened them. Polzin remained in handcuffs for about thirty minutes and later received a diagnosis of nerve damage and Wartenberg’s Syndrome, a condition caused by the compression of a nerve in the wrist.

On August 15, 2020, Thibodaux Police officers Shawn Snow, Simon Braud, Devon Lebouef, and Jory Guidry allegedly used excessive force upon their arrival at the home of Jackson, who has cerebral palsy. Jackson’s lawsuit alleged that the officers twisted his injured arm beyond its natural range of motion, applied tight handcuffs that left cuts and bruises, and smashed his legs and head against the police car.

In 2015, then-Officer Nouman Raja shot and killed Corey Jones after his car broke down on an Interstate 95 off-ramp. Jones was on the phone with roadside assistance at the time of the shooting, and the recorded call revealed that Raja never identified himself as a police officer. Raja was found guilty of manslaughter and attempted murder in a separate criminal case in 2019 and received a twenty-five-year prison sentence.

On June 15, 2015, Officer Joshua Klinge shot Jackson as he exited a motel room window. Klinge said he believed Jackson was reaching for a weapon, but Jackson was unarmed. Jackson’s parents, Angela Ainley and Patrick Jackson, filed a federal lawsuit in 2016 against the City, Klinge, and former Police Chief Brian Uhler alleging civil rights violations and wrongful death. The settlement was paid through a combination of city funds and insurance. Following Jackson’s death, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department implemented body-worn cameras in 2020 and the City created a Police Advisory Commission in 2021.

In 2019, Deputy Tyler Loup stopped Franks, who had just delivered produce to a grocery store, and accused him of loitering. Loup then arrested Franks for refusing to identify himself. Franks spent a night in jail but was never charged. His lawsuit alleged unlawful arrest and excessive use of force. On February 1, 2023, a jury concluded that the arrest lacked probable cause and that Loup acted with reckless disregard for constitutional rights. The County settled the case shortly afterward.

According to a federal civil rights lawsuit, Worship was sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands raised when Richton Park Police Officer Caleb Blood shot him with an assault rifle, shattering his kneecap. The SWAT team had raided the home with a narcotics search warrant for his mother’s boyfriend, who was arrested but ultimately not prosecuted. As part of the settlement, Richton Park agreed to issue a public apology and Blood agreed to issue a private apology and participate in retraining and recertification. Due to the incident, Worship had undergone five surgeries as of February 2023 and will likely need multiple knee replacements. The family continued to call for criminal charges against Blood.

The federal civil case, filed in July 2021, alleged that Williams broke Tran’s left elbow, dislocated his shoulders, and chipped one of his teeth while arresting him on June 29, 2019, for violating traffic ordinances by skateboarding in the street. Williams then allegedly manufactured charges against Tran to avoid consequences. Williams’s law enforcement certification has since been revoked for unrelated reasons.

After Maryland State Police officers pulled Smith over in February 2017, Smith proceeded to flee, leading to a three-mile chase. Once the officers stopped Smith, they allegedly threw him to the ground, directed their police dog to attack him, and arrested him. There was no body camera footage of the incident. In a separate case, the police officers were cleared of all charges of criminal wrongdoing.

Police claimed that the protesters, who were demonstrating in response to the acquittal of former St. Louis Police Officer Jason Stockley in the murder of Anthony Lamar Smith, refused to disperse. However, the lawsuit alleged that police surrounded protesters and refused to let them leave, and that officers beat and pepper-sprayed the protesters before arresting them.

 According to the lawsuit, Connors was filming police officers during the George Floyd protests in May 2020 when police falsely arrested him (meaning without justification) and subjected him to excessive force. Connors was incarcerated for three days, and the charges against him were ultimately dismissed.

St. Paul Police officers approached Golden on January 14, 2015, because he had allegedly sent threatening messages to his ex-girlfriend. Officers fatally shot Golden when he reportedly drove at them at a high speed, although Golden’s family disputes that he was driving toward the officers. The incident occurred before St. Paul Police officers began wearing body cameras. The settlement also stipulated that a member of Golden’s family would be appointed to the Neighborhood Safety and Community Council.

Police arrested Jason Dickman, who had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, for a graffiti violation. While he was detained at the Clark County Detention Center, his cellmate choked and killed him in May 2021. Richard Dickman alleged that Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers failed to place his son in a unit for individuals with severe mental illness.

Of the total settlement amount, $1.8 million would be paid by the Police Department, and the remainder would be paid by their insurance company. In January 2021, police used explosives to blow King’s door off in an attempt to search her home for evidence about a man who did not live there. The suit alleged that the explosion seriously injured King, including permanent damage to her eyes, and caused lasting trauma for her and her daughter.

The terms of the settlement were not released as of January 2023. In December 2020, Kennedy, a Black man, was standing in line at a convenience store when he struck up a conversation with another customer and mentioned his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and his negative experiences with the Shreveport Police Department. Officer Montrell Jackson overheard Kennedy and ordered him to step outside. He then threw Kennedy to the ground and repeatedly slammed his head on the sidewalk. Jackson, along with other officers who arrived, handcuffed and searched Kennedy but found nothing incriminating, and then took him to a hospital psychiatric ward. The next morning, a psychiatrist said there was no basis to hold Kennedy and released him.

Officers arrested McNeill in July 2023 after detectives using license plate reader technology mistakenly identified her car as being involved in a violent crime. They then subjected her to a harsh interrogation for several hours before realizing the error. The police chief, who later retired, apologized on behalf of the detectives.

On May 25, 2020, police, including Officer Adonis Long and Officer Shimul Saha, tried to remove Joseph T. from a subway train for allegedly taking up more than one seat. Joseph T. was arrested and charged with felony assault after officers alleged that he kicked them as they tried to handcuff him. However, body camera footage showed officers punching Joseph T., pepper-spraying him, and pushing his belongings off the train. The Manhattan District Attorney subsequently dropped the assault charges against Joseph T.