Plaintiff was in the wrong place at the wrong time, as officers were raiding the upstairs unit in the duplex where Plaintiff lived downstairs. Plaintiff was hit by the front door to the duplex when Officer Peter Stanton rammed it open. Plaintiff was subsequently thrown to the floor and stomped on by Officer Stanton, though Officer Stanton denied stomping on Plaintiff.
Officer Lecy threw Plaintiff to the ground after Plaintiff was in handcuffs. Officer Lecy also stated that “all you Native Americans are nothing but fucking animals.” Plaintiff said during his deposition that he suffered neck stiffness and emotional distress as a result of Officer Lecy’s excessive force and racist remark. In exchange for Plaintiff’s agreement to dismiss his claim for infliction of emotional distress, Defendants agreed not to bring a motion for summary judgment.
In 2012 client was pulled over on his motorcycle for his license plate light supposedly not being bright enough and then cited for not having a proper motorcycle license. After client received his citation, he was allowed to leave the scene on foot with his helmet and keys as the officers impounded the motorcycle. The officers later decided they wanted the keys to make towing the motorcycle easier. The officers then made contact with client about a ½ mile from the stop and requested the keys. Client refused to give the keys to them and was arrested.
Gelinas was speaking during the public comment period of a 4/14/10 school committee meeting. Gelinas said it was time for school officials, including Chairperson Boisselle, to be held responsible for their role in the death of Phoebe Prince. Before he could finish, Boisselle ordered Gelinas to sit down. Gelinas was escorted out of the meeting by police officers.
Ms. Reid, an inmate at MCI-Framingham, slipped and fell on a wet ramp while working in the prison kitchen, breaking her right ankle in two places. As a result of her injury, Ms. Reid contracted persistent MRSA infection. DOC employees failed to rectify the dangerous condition of the kitchen ramp, which they knew, or should have known, to be hazardous, and failed to warn of the danger. Ms. Reid continues to suffer from pain and emotional distress caused by these injuries and illnesses years after the incident.
Bifcurcated case. Plaintiff, a closed-head injury patient, was in his home when his wife phone local LEO to get her cell phone from her husband. While inside Plaintiff’s home, the officers jumped and beat Plaintiff with a baton. Officer testified that it “slipped” into an extended position; physical injuries demonstrated repeated blows. Fellow officer testified that based on the physical evidence, it couldn’t possibly have happened the way the defendant officer described…settled shortly after his officer’s deposition.
For nearly a decade, the Boston Police Department sent female detainees to the Suffolk County Jail where they were strip searched as part of the admissions procedure. Male detainees were held in police station lockups, where they were not routinely strip searched. We won a judgment that the policy was unconstitutional. Suffolk County agreed to settle, then claimed it could not pay. We obtained a court order holding the county in contempt of court, and Suffolk County paid its share of the settlement plus interest and fines.
On 7/21/03, Kelly Jo Griffen, 24 year old mother of two, was to be held at MCI Framingham for one night before going to court in the morning. Ms. Griffen was experiencing the effects of heroin withdrawal. Medical staff knew that Ms. Griffen was not keeping fluids in her system, but failed to take steps to rehydrate her. Two hours before she became comatose, Ms. Griffen’s vital signs showed that she was in grave danger. Defendant Grodski was unable to obtain a blood pressure reading or a pulse.
Mr. Cosme was a prisoner worker in the Maintenance Department at MCI-Norfolk. He suffered fractures of both wrists and his right elbow when he fell from a roof while laying down tar paper. These injuries are permanent and severe. DOC employees negligently failed to provide plaintiff with any training or proper supervision. No safety equipment was provided to protect the plaintiff from the dangers of working on a rooftop. Settlement was reached after DOC finally agreed to allow Mr. Cosme to see an outside surgeon. The maximum recovery under the state statute is $100,000.
On March 16, 2006, Somerville officer Freitas, who was off-duty and had been drinking, confronted Gerard Contaldi (15) and his friends about kicking a recycling bin near Freitas’s sports car. Freitas called Gerard an idiot and slapped him. One of Gerard’s friends pushed Freitas, then the boys ran away. Officers stopped Gerard, threw him to the ground, and cuffed him. An officer pressed Gerard’s face in the gravel. Freitas hit Gerard in the eye with a flashlight.