Deputy pursued suspected drunken driver to home and entered garage allegedly in hot pursuit. In encounter at door from garage to home, deputy fired Taser to prevent driver’s escape into his home. Driver struck in left eye with Taser dart and subsequently lost all vision in left eye.
During a routine traffic stop, Defendant Police Officer grabbed Plaintiff by the neck and slammed her against the hood of his patrol car. Plaintiff sustained injuries consisting of an 8 mm disc protrusion, a 7 mm disc protrusion with bilateral nerve root compromise, and a 5 mm disc protrusion. Defendant Police Officer admitted to failing to properly focus his vehicle’s dashboard camera and not wearing his body microphone at the time of the incident.
Plaintiff was confronted on sidewalk alongside of busy neighborhood shopping center by officers of Atlanta Police Department. Officers forcibly detained and strip searched Plaintiff and, after failing to discover any incriminating information or material, released Plaintiff. Officers denied having made any contact with the Plaintiff; Plaintiff and other witnesses placed one or more of the defendant officers at the scene.
Plaintiff died within 10 days of beginning pretrial confinement in a local jail near Gainesville, FL due to an ectopic pregnancy, but within one day of complaints of abdominal pain. Video evidence showed plaintiff virtually falling out of a wheelchair as she was transported out of GP into segregation. Case settled while pending interlocutory appeal on qualified immunity before Eleventh Circuit after all briefs filed. DMS
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.
Mr. Johnson was convicted of a murder he did not commit. Originally sentenced to death, he served ten years in prison before being exonerated. Our firm obtained compensation for him under the Massachusetts Erroneous Conviction statute. The maximum compensation available under the statute is $500,000.