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Sheriff gets $25K bond in assault case over shocked inmate
COLUMBIA (AP) — A sheriff charged with ordering the stun gun shocking of an inmate at his county’s jail was trying to help his officers deal with a combative, out-of-control man who had just beat his father with a baseball bat, the sheriff’s lawyer said at his bond hearing Tuesday. But a lawyer for the […]
Unsealed documents: Deputy says man’s shooting was justified
RALEIGH (AP) A federal judge unsealed court documents April 23 that show a North Carolina deputy’s strategy for fighting a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of a man fatally shot on his porch in 2015. U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle made the documents public after media outlets had argued there was no compelling reason for […]
Authorities investigate after suspect stunned by police dies
ANDERSON, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating after a suspect, who police say was intoxicated, died at a hospital after being stunned by officers during his arrest. Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown tells local news outlets that 26-year-old Benston Calvin Clinkscales died early Sunday at AnMed Health after being […]
The volts on you
Sometimes it seems like everybody wants to be a cop until it’s time to do what cops do. But recently a Fayetteville police officer was stunned to find—and stunned, literally, when he or she found—that 45-year-old Valerie Hadley was ready and willing to employ measures typically reserved for officers in furtherance of her mission. Though […]
Civil Rights – No Immunity for Traffic-Stop Triple Taser Use
Yates v. Terry (Lawyers Weekly No. 001-063-16, 21 pp.) (Biggs, J.) No. 15-1555, March 31, 2016; USDC at Charleston, S.C. (Houck, J.) 4th Cir. Holding: A first sergeant and Iraq war veteran who allegedly was ordered out of his car and tased three times over not having his driver’s license, after offering his military identification […]
Civil Rights – Excessive Force – Taser – Sheriff’s Deputies – Public Official Immunity
Pride v. Pierce (Lawyers Weekly No. 002-009-16, 10 pp.) (Terrence Boyle, J.) 5:14-cv-00781; E.D.N.C. Holding: Although plaintiff has alleged that the defendant-deputies acted maliciously, corruptly or outside the scope of their official authority when they tased him multiple times outside his home, plaintiff has not alleged facts which would support his claims against the defendant-sheriff [&helli[...]
Fourth Circuit warns police officers about using Tasers on resisting subjects
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has put police officers on notice when it comes to using Taser stun guns as a pain compliance tool on a resisting subject. Unless officers can demonstrate that the subject poses an “immediate danger,” the court determined using a Taser on a non-compliant individual would run afoul of […]
Civil Rights – Taser Use on Mentally Ill Man Was ‘Excessive’
Estate of Ronald H. Armstrong v. Village of Pinehurst, N.C. (Lawyers Weekly No. 001-007-16, 47 pp.) (Thacker, J.) No. 15-1191, Jan. 11 2016; USDC at Greensboro, N.C. (Eagles, J.) 4th Cir. Holding: Defendant police officers who reportedly tased a schizophrenic man subject to an involuntary commitment order five times during the six and one-half minutes […]
Jury gives victim’s family $500K in Taser case
A federal jury has awarded a $500,000 verdict to the family of a 21-year-old man who died after Charlotte-Mecklenburg police stunned him with a Taser gun. La-Reko Williams died from a contraction of the muscles in his heart after Officer Michael Forbes shocked him twice with the Taser while responding to a 911 call. The […]
Appeals court tosses $6M verdict against Taser
A federal appeals court has tossed out a more than $6 million award to the family of a North Carolina teenager who died after being shocked with a Taser.
Tort/Negligence – Excessive Force – Taser — Public Official Immunity – Malicious Prosecution — Constitutional
DeBaun v. Kuszaj A product warning accompanying the defendant-police officer’s taser says that “loss of control [as a result of taser probe deployment] can in some circumstances increase the risks of serious injury or death resulting from the loss of balance [or] falls.... Especially at risk are persons: ... Who are running”; nevertheless, the defendant-city’s police department o[...]
Botched arrest, Taser melee at funeral settled for $80K
Imagine this situation: Undercover lawmen in suits and ties crash a funeral service and incite a melee when they start waving Tasers, using one to stun a pallbearer as he carries his father’s casket to a hearse, then threaten to open fire on outraged mourners during the bungled sting operation.
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Commentary
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- Lawyers Weekly debuts new and improved web experience
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- A Different Ode to Pro Bono Work
- A roadmap to attracting, developing, retaining great associates
