municipal 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, …

Massachusetts High Court Revives Contractor Liability Claim Over ‘Half Inch’ Defect

Whether a half-inch granite protrusion on a crosswalk under repair is sufficient to support a negligent claim is a matter for a jury to decide, not a court granting summary judgment for a contractor doing work for a municipality. Furthermore, …

Maryland Man Wrongly Imprisoned for 32 Years Gets $2.9M

A Maryland board approved $2.9 million in compensation Wednesday for a man who was wrongly imprisoned for 32 years, including a decade on death row, for two murders he did not commit. John Huffington was pardoned by former Gov. Larry …

Massachusetts Town Not Liable for ATV Rider’s Death on Town Land

A Massachusetts town is immune from liability for the death of an ATV rider who was killed after striking a wire cable strung across a right of way on town land by the owner of the adjacent private property. The …

New York Lawmakers Again Pass Wrongful Death Damages Bill. Is Another Veto in Store?

New York lawmakers have again overwhelmingly passed legislation to overhaul the state’s 1847 law that governs damages that can be awarded in wrongful death cases. But it’s unclear whether the latest version of the Grieving Families Act will pass muster …

Court Allows Philly Cops Fired Over Facebook Posts to Pursue 1st Amendment Claims

A dozen Philadelphia police officers who were fired or suspended for racist and violent social media posts can pursue a lawsuit against the city claiming their First Amendment rights were violated, a federal appeals court ruled. The officers’ social media …

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 …

Plaintiffs ‘Shocked’ as Judge Ends Hartford Police Consent Decree Imposed in 1973

A judge has ended the nearly 50 years of federal oversight of police in Hartford, Connecticut, despite continued concerns the department still has not hired enough minority officers to reflect the city’s large Black and Hispanic populations. U.S. District Judge …

Connecticut Woman Shot by Officer Receives $1.1 Million Settlement

HAMDEN, Conn. (AP) – A Connecticut woman who was seriously injured when a police officer opened fire on her and her boyfriend as they sat in a car unarmed has settled a lawsuit over the shooting for about $1.1 million. …

Lawsuit Blames Philadelphia Rowhouse Fire That Killed 12 on City Agency, Lighter Importer

The first lawsuit filed over a Christmas tree fire in Philadelphia – which killed 12 members of an extended family last winter – accuses the city’s Housing Agency of lax oversight of the three-story rowhouse and a California company of …