The City of Madison and its insurance company have agreed to pay $2.3 million to settle the civil rights claims of the family of Paul Heenan, the thirty-year old musician and recording engineer who was shot and killed by Madison Police Officer Stephen Heimsness, on November 9, 2012, after he mistook a neighbor’s Baldwin Street house for the one he had moved into a week earlier, prompting a 911 call.
Nantucket Police Officer John Hubbard used unreasonable force on Eric Kaminskas, fracturing his skull. On September 4, 2011, Defendant Hubbard was investigating an altercation at a nightclub on Nantucket Island. He approached Mr. Kaminskas outside the nightclub to question him about his involvement. Defendant Hubbard tackled Mr. Kaminskas with so much force that Mr. Kaminskas’s right frontal skull struck the pavement and broke into pieces. Mr. Kaminskas was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (MGH). After the swelling in Mr.
A 77-year-old retired psychologist with no criminal record, 5 feet 2 inches tall, 140 pounds, was falsely arrested, and injured by jail guards during book-in after expressing annoyance and confusion when denied access to his attorney’s phone number. One guard grabbed plaintiff’s left arm; a larger guard lunged suddenly from a side room, grabbed plaintiff’s arm and pulled it behind plaintiff’s back and upward, and slammed his left forearm behind plaintiff’s neck. This arm-bar maneuver caused a massive full-thickness rotator cuff tear of plaintiff’s right shoulder.
On May 4, 2012, Mr. Holding was loud while visiting a friend who lived next door to Defendant Lauria. When Mr. Holding returned to his friend’s house the next afternoon, Defendant Lauria was waiting for him. Defendant Lauria was on duty in his marked Revere police car wearing his police uniform. Defendant Lauria went up to Mr. Holding and, without provocation, punched, kicked, and cursed at Mr. Holding. Defendant Lauria fractured the bone at base of Mr. Holding’s right thumb and bruised Mr. Holding’s right shoulder, upper back, and left eye. Mr.
Officer Joshua Henninger took out his department issued Freeze +P chemical irritant and gave a burst directly into Plaintiff’s eyes. Plaintiff and his brother later approached Officer Henninger, and Plaintiff said he wanted Officer Henninger’s badge number. Officer Heidi Eisenbeis and Officer Luis Realivasquez subsequently took Plaintiff to the ground, by jumping on Plaintiff from behind, pushing Plaintiff face first into a city bench on the sidewalk, and kneeing Plaintiff in the ribs at least twice.
Plaintiffs, two African-American teenaged boys, were stopped by City of Poughkeepsie police because one (Dancy) supposedly matched the description of a suspected robber. When the other, Elting, tried to call his mother on his cell phone, he was taken to ground by defendant McGinley and beaten by McGinley and other officers while restrained. Elting was arrested for OGA and later the police claimed he possessed crack cocaine. Meanwhile, another officer, Williams, slammed Dancy’s head against side of patrol car, resulting in hairline jaw fracture.
Salem Police responded to a call for a welfare check on Chase, a-27-year old Black male, reporting he was suicidal, under the influence of Xanax, and in possession of his father’s gun. When police arrived on scene, he was not there. Over an hour later, after dark, Chase approached, walking slowly and calmly up the street. Officers testified that Chase was holding a revolver, upside down and by the butt, as he approached. The officers shined their lights at him and officers simultaneously shouted different commands at him.
On August 24, 2007, Kramer beat and kicked Ms. Kaye, causing multiple facial fractures, two broken ribs, among other injuries. Kramer was enraged that Ms. Kaye had not immediately complied with his unlawful order to shut her mouth and go back inside as she stood at her front door observing Kramer and other officers making an arrest in front of her home. Taunton Police Chief Raymond O’Berg has publicly complained about his inability to investigate wrongdoings within his department. As a result, officers believe that they are free to violate citizens’ rights with impunity.
On February 28, 2009, Boston police officers Lenane and Holt went to the public way behind the Pine Street Inn to “broom” the area of homeless people. When the officers approached, everyone fled except for Mr. Medina. Defendants incorrectly assumed that Mr. Medina had drugs. Lenane grabbed Mr. Medina’s throat and looked inside his mouth for drugs. Holt hit Mr. Medina on the nose with a hard metal object, breaking his nose. Both attacked Mr. Medina, kicking and punching him while he was on the ground. Defendants did not find any drugs and did not arrest Mr.