Settlements

Cumpian, a Black hotel worker, was threatened and held by gunpoint by officer Ronald Kerzaya for several minutes. Officer Kerzaya was responding to a call about an armed suspect at the hotel where Cumpian worked. The hotel manager told Kerzaya that the suspect was White. Kerzaya, however, held Cumpian by gun point for several minutes until the hotel manager could confirm that Cumpian was not the suspect.

In a now viral video, police officers can be seen confronting Weinman and administering a breathalyzer test over an unopened alcoholic beverage. As Weinman tells the officers she had not been drinking and begins to walk away, an officer can be heard saying, “Al[l ]right, you are about to get dropped.” According to the lawsuit, Weinman says that the officers were “twisting her arms, pulling her hair and choking her by firmly pressing a forearm against her throat that hindered her breathing.”

The officers, Thomas Canon and Robert Jordan, were not regular police officers, but instead class II officers that are seasonal positions the Jersey Shore towns regularly employ during the busy summer seasons.

Worthington Police Officers Mark Riley and Evan Eggers seriously injured Rodriguez during an arrest in January 2019 after Rodriguez had surrendered with his hands in the air and ignored Rodriquez’s repeated requests for medical care. When police did respond, Rodriguez had to be airlifted to a medical center and spent five days in intensive care.

As a result of the police encounter, Rosenberg had his arm broken by Niskayuna officers. He now has impaired use of the arm and in his hand.

The injuries Osman sustained after being struck by a Dunwoody Police vehicle resulted in several surgeries and $370,000 in medical bills. Osman was pursued for driving erratically in a parking lot.

Officer Wolongevicz, who no longer works in Manlius, was told that she would be disciplined if she complained about vulgar comments made in her presence by her colleagues. The village and town of Manlius will now offer sex discrimination training to its officers.

The settlement payment will reimburse Giron for his medical expenses, related to the emergency surgery care he received after his encounter with police. There are additional legal proceedings pending against the city by six other demonstrators who allege they were subject to police violence during protests.

Umar Burley and Brent Matthews, the recipients of the largest settlement payment, served time in prison after an illegal car chase conducted by Baltimore Police. The chase resulted in the death of an 86-year-old man. Two separate but related lawsuits amounted to nearly $600,000 in settlement payments. Several officers on the GTTF were convicted of federal crimes, such as racketeering for robbing city residents.

Maurice Crawley and Jabari Boykins will each receive $200,000, after they both had encounters with the same police officer, Officer Vallon Smith, that spurred the lawsuits. In both cases, Smith used violent and aggressive methods to harm Crawley and Boykins.

Andrew Mitchell, the police officer who shot Castlebury, is facing criminal charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter. He is the first Columbus police officer in two decades to face criminal prosecution for an on-duty killing.

A settlement agreement prohibiting the New York Police Department from removing detainees’ hijabs while in police custody was reached on November 5, 2020, nearly two years after a lawsuit was filed in 2018.

The lawsuit may also have implications for police policies in Yonkers. The 2018 lawsuit claimed that it was illegal for the NYPD to remove religious attire for mugshots. Monetary settlements for the plaintiffs have yet to be reached.

During her tenure with the Sitka Police Department, Ferguson was the only female officer. Her discrimination complaint is one of several that has been leveled against the Department this year. The settlement agreement in this case has a unique provision that will allow Ferguson to conduct, at her own cost, an independent investigation into management practices by the Sitka Police Department.

Baltimore County announced in November 2020 that it will refrain from using written examinations for police recruitment purposes. A 2019 lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that the County was engaging in unintentional employment discrimination against African Americans applicants.

The lawsuit asserted the African American applicants were discriminated against in the hiring of entry-level police officer and cadet positions by heavily weighing examination scores in hiring decisions. DOJ officials argued that hiring examinations were not job-related and disproportionately excluded African Americans.

Eric Uller was accused of molesting several children whom he picked up from predominately Latino areas of the city, beginning in the 1980s. He used his job with the city to gain access to the boys, and the city had a series of reports on his behavior.

Begley’s complaint centered on former Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry. Begley alleged that he was subjected to retaliation by the Chief and his subordinates for over nine years, beginning in 2012. Primarily, this retaliation came in the form of investigations which Begley claims were intended to force him out of the Department.

Houston’s injuries were sustained after being shot with pepperballs and teargas during the protests. He filed his lawsuit to push for policy changes in the way police interact with journalists covering protests.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department settled a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on Oct. 29, 2020 to end the use of riot control agents against peaceful, law-abiding protesters and passive resistors.

The case was filed on behalf of Indy10 Black Lives Matter and individual protesters, who were exposed to chemical riot control agents, namely tear gas, during protests in late May 2020. The agreement also limited the circumstances in which the department can use impact weapons, such as rubber bullets.

Mr. Martinez fled a traffic stop and was restrained by Pittsburg Police inside a stranger’s home. The use of the carotid hold has since been banned by the City of Pittsburg. This settlement is one of the largest payments made to a victim of a police killing in California history.

Officer Shaw has worked for the Columbus Division of Police for 28 years. The settlement admits no wrongdoing but agrees to Officer Shaw’s demand that future instances of retaliation be treated as a terminable offense. Three other officers have made similar allegations against the Department which are currently pending.

Jacob Sanchez sustained heavy injuries when Las Cruces Police Officer Isaiah Baker improperly handled a K-9 unit. The city has agreed to pay Mr. Sanchez nearly $325,000 to settle the suit. This is the third lawsuit concerning misconduct against Officer Baker.

Webb, a Black man, was fired at by multiple officers while he was inside his car because they erroneously believed that he might be dragging an officer that had pursued his vehicle on foot. The officers had been responding to a disturbance at the nightclub.

The Vallejo Police Department is currently under investigation by the California Department of Justice after a string of reported incidents of police violence revealed a pattern of excessive use of force within the Department. Police targeted Edwards despite the fact that he did not fit the description of a suspect they were looking for based on a 911 call.

In 2015, Pittsburgh Police Department officers pursued a vehicle fleeing a traffic stop, which resulted in a crash. A 12-year old girl, only identified in official documents as “D.H.,” suffered from brain damage and other significant injuries due to the crash. D.H.’s family alleged the Pittsburgh Police Department had a widespread practice of high-speed chases resulting from traffic stops.

Officer Garcia’s lawsuit alleged that the Baltimore Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against Hispanic men. His suit was filed separately but is related to another settlement granted to Officer Jasmin Rowlett.

City attorneys handling the case have stated that the issues leading to this lawsuit have probably been ongoing for over three years, and other city officials claim that they have been going on for decades. If it continued, this lawsuit could have implicated tens of thousands of warrants.