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Articles in Verdict1

Family of Man Shot and Killed by San Bernardino Police Agrees to $575,000 Settlement

by Christopher Zoukis

The city of San Bernardino, California, along with two of its police officers who shot and killed Jerriel Dashawn Allen, agreed to a settlement of $575,000 with Allen's family, which included his parents and two minor children.

     On April 14, 2007, San Bernardino Police Officers Adam ...

Settlement in Lawsuit Over Missouri Jail Prisoner’s Death

by Matt Clarke

The family of a prisoner who died at a Richland Heights, Missouri jail after untreated deep vein thrombosis caused a fatal pulmonary embolism has settled a lawsuit brought against the jail, two hospitals and hospital employees. The settlement was confidential but the city’s portion was released as ...

Ohio: Federal Lawsuit Over Jail Beating Settles for $70,000

by Christopher Zoukis

A federal lawsuit alleging various constitutional and state law violations related to the beating of a jail detainee in Euclid City, Ohio settled in October 2017 for $70,000.

On January 14, 2015, Lucille Dumas was arrested in connection with a traffic stop. As she was being booked ...

Indiana County Pays $28,000 to Settle Prisoner’s Excessive Force Suit

by Dale Chappell

LaPorte County, Indiana has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a former prisoner who claimed county jailers used excessive force against him.

The suit, filed by Marcin Kulbacki, alleged that guards at the LaPorte County jail tased him and otherwise used excessive force, causing head and ...

Federal Civil Rights Suit for California Jail Beating Settles for $100,000

by Derek Gilna

In September 2017, Derek Connor, incarcerated at the Placer County jail in Auburn, California, filed a federal lawsuit against the county and numerous deputies and jail employees over an unprovoked beating and other civil rights violations. The complaint, filed in the Eastern District of California, claimed that ...

Ohio: $275,000 Settlement in Jail Detainee’s Suicide

A $275,000 settlement was reached in a lawsuit over the March 5, 2015 suicide of a pretrial detainee at Ohio’s Fairfield County Jail. It was the second settlement related to a suicide at the facility since 2009.

Jesse Whitlatch, 32, was arrested on charges of breaking and entering and theft ...

$100,000 Settlement in Suit Over Hawaii Guard’s Sexual Assault of Prisoner

by Matt Clarke

The State of Hawaii and a former prison guard have each agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a female prisoner who was sexually assaulted.

Stormy Rae Smith was serving a five-year sentence at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Honolulu for car theft ...

PLN Postcard-only Suit Against Knox County, Tennessee Settles for $87,000

by Steve Horn

On April 4, 2018, Prison Legal News settled a lawsuit over unconstitutional mail policies at a jail in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The complaint centered around the censorship of 147 pieces of mail sent to prisoners at the Knox County jail between November 2014 and when the suit was ...

Wrongful Death Suit Against Tennessee Town Settles for $6,000

by Monte McCoin

A $1 million lawsuit filed by the widow of a man who died at the city jail in Kingsport, Tennessee following a 2015 DUI arrest settled on February 28, 2017 for just $6,000.

Judy Honaker alleged that the City of Kingsport and two jailers, Monica Safis and ...

New Jersey Student Receives $290,000 Settlement after July 4 Police Assault

by Christopher Zoukis

Jonathan Wilson, a 22-year-old student and resident of Middletown, New Jersey, agreed to a $290,000 settlement as a result of being wrongfully assaulted, arrested, and prosecuted by the Red Bank Police Department.

     On July 3, 2006, Wilson attended a Fourth of July fireworks celebration near the ...