Settlements

An officer with the San Luis Obispo Police Department fired at the dog, claiming it was charging him, but this version of events was disputed by Regalia and Manford. The San Luis Obispo Police Department has implemented officer training on how to handle dog encounters.

Reiman, the brother of Carteret’s mayor, Mayor Dan Reiman, was acquitted of criminal charges in Superior Court. The federal civil rights lawsuit contended that many officers who witnessed the incident failed to intervene because they feared retribution from the Mayor. Officer Reiman has faced numerous complaints of excessive force in the past.

The Aurora Police Department has had issues concerning police excessive use of force for years; the Department rose to infamy when it was involved with the death of Elijah McClain in 2019.

Taylor was killed by plainclothes police officers when they fired upon him outside his home. The officers, Michael Spaulding and Scott Miller, claimed they believed their lives to be in danger when they encountered Taylor, who they tried to arrest for unlawful possession of a handgun. Evidence in the case raised doubt about the officers’ claims that Taylor was armed.

Ryan Cordova was beaten by a police officer while handcuffed to a rail in the holding cell of the county jail in 2019. He will receive $335,000 to settle his lawsuit.

Jessica Guttman failed to immediately identify herself to a police officer, who then was taken to the ground and handcuffed. Due to a preexisting disability, Guttman started to suffer from seizures during the police encounter. Police waited more than 30 minutes to release Guttman so that she could receive medical attention. Guttman will receive $300,000.

Ryan Cordova was beaten by a police officer while handcuffed to a rail in the holding cell of the county jail in 2019. He will receive $335,000 to settle his lawsuit.

Jessica Guttman failed to immediately identify herself to a police officer, who then was taken to the ground and handcuffed. Due to a preexisting disability, Guttman started to suffer from seizures during the police encounter. Police waited more than 30 minutes to release Guttman so that she could receive medical attention. Guttman will receive $300,000.

Officer Clinton Toles, who was off duty at the time, assaulted McDonough at a bar in 2017. Toles identified himself as a police officer to McDonough. Two city officials who approved the settlement noted publicly that similarly situated settlements had done little to curb police misconduct in Minneapolis over the years and that settlement may have come to be viewed by officials as the cost of doing business.

Kolb’s son, who called 911 to get his father medical attention, did not claim his father presented as any clear danger to dispatchers, and that he was simply experiencing a mental health crisis that Kolb has regularly experienced before. Honeycutt claimed he shot Kolb because he feared for his life when Kolb stabbed him with a sharp object, but Kolb’s son testified he never saw his father attack Honeycutt and the deputy’s vest showed no signs of stabbing.

Ryan Whitaker was shot and killed by Phoenix police officers in May 2020, when officers were called to the scene involving a domestic dispute. Whitaker was holding a gun in his hand when he opened the door. Officers perceived Whitaker to be an eminent danger and shot him, although he did not fire his gun and appeared to be kneeling and putting his hands up, as seen through body worn cameras.

The officer involved in this incident was off duty and pursued Chancellor for speeding.

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.