police liability News

Jury Awards $35M to Family of New York Man Who Died After Being Beaten by Police

The family of a Long Island, New York, man who died after being beaten by police with flashlights and fists during a 2008 traffic stop was awarded $35 million in damages by a federal jury last Thursday. Frederick K. Brewington, …

Protester Sues Police for Over Arrest Near Maine Home of Federalist Society’s Leo

A demonstrator arrested outside the home of conservative legal activist Leonard Leo contends police violated his First Amendment rights. Eli Durand-McDonnell, 24, of Bar Harbor, contends in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that two police officers singled him out among …

High-Profile Forensic Scientist Lee Liable for Fabricating Evidence in Murder Case

Famed forensic scientist Henry Lee was found liable for fabricating evidence in a murder case that sent two Connecticut men to prison for decades for a crime they did not commit, a federal judge ruled Friday. Ralph “Ricky” Birch and …

New York City Agrees to Pay $13M to Settle Suits Over Arrests of 2020 Protesters

New York City has agreed to pay more than $13 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought on behalf of roughly 1,300 people who were arrested or beaten by police during racial injustice demonstrations that swept through the city …

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Police by Mississippi Woman Hit by Stray Bullet

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Mississippi woman who says she was hit by a stray police bullet while lying in bed. Latasha Smith, 49, was in bed on Dec. 11 when an officer from the …

Former Delaware Trooper Faces Lawsuit for Theft Scheme Targeting Shipping Firm

A package reshipping company targeted in a theft scheme by a former Delaware State Police trooper has filed a lawsuit against him and the police agency. TotalTransLogistics LLC said in a complaint filed this week in Superior Court that it …

Audit Finds Connecticut State Police Falsified Traffic Stop Data

Hundreds of Connecticut state police troopers falsified information on at least 26,000 traffic stops from 2014 to 2021, skewing reports on the race and ethnicity of pulled-over motorists, according to an audit released Wednesday. Data analysts with the University of …

New York City Defends ‘Stop and Frisk’ Policy After Report Calls It Unconstitutional

New York City’s reliance on the tactic known as “stop and frisk” as part of a new initiative to combat gun violence is harming communities of color and running afoul of the law, a court-appointed federal monitor reported this week. …

Massachusetts City Faces Lawsuit Alleging Police Misconduct at George Floyd Protest

Eleven people have filed a federal lawsuit saying they were assaulted by police or wrongfully arrested while peacefully observing a June 2020 protest in Massachusetts’ second-largest city over the killing of George Floyd. The lawsuit filed last Thursday names as …

Vermont City Reaches Settlement Over Police Use of Force

The Vermont city of Burlington announced Friday that it has agreed to pay $750,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who was shoved by a police officer, fell backward and hit his head on a …