municipal liability News

REUTERS SPECIAL REPORT: A United Front Takes Aim at Police Immunity From Lawsuits

The diverse opponents of qualified immunity have thrown their weight behind at least five appeals now awaiting the Supreme Court’s attention, each considered a potential means of removing or softening the doctrine. One of them is the case of Alexander …

Opinion: What If Public Employees Could Sue Government Over Covid-19?

Suppose you’re working in an essential industry and your employer hasn’t provided you with adequate personal protective equipment. Maybe you say to yourself, “Okay, there’s a shortage, they’re trying.” Then you discover that just a couple of years ago, your …

Indiana City Shares Responsibility for Crash That Killed 3, Lawsuit Says

A lawsuit says a northern Indiana city shares responsibility for a crash that killed two children and a man who were walking along a sidewalk. Authorities say Leonard Grosswiler was driving in August 2017 when his vehicle struck five pedestrians …

Lawyer Hit by Garbage Can to Get $2.1 Million from Insurers for Des Moines

Insurers for the city of Des Moines paid $2.1 million to a lawyer who alleged he suffered head injuries when he was hit by a falling garbage can. The city released a copy of its November settlement with Jaysen McCleary …

Taser Deaths Produce at Least 442 Lawsuits Against Police, Municipalities: Reuters

In a first-of-its-kind review of court documents, police reports, other public records and news accounts, Reuters compiled the most comprehensive public accounting to date of deaths and litigation that followed police use of Tasers. In all, reporters documented 1,005 people …

Supreme Court Takes Up Case on Liability When Police Provoke Violence

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether Los Angeles County and two police officers must pay a $4 million award to a couple shot during a search for someone else. The case, which comes at a time of heightened …

New York City Pays $2.7M in Autistic Teen’s Death

New York City has agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mother of a 14-year-old autistic boy who was found dead after leaving his school in Queens. The Daily News reported the settlement. …

Massachusetts City Settles Coerced Confession Claim for $2.1M

The city of Worcester, Massachusetts has agreed to pay $2.1 million to a mother who said police officers coerced her to confess to suffocating her 13-month-old son with a teddy bear. The Telegram & Gazette reported that the city announced …

Maine Town Ends Flying of U.S. Flags Due to Insurance Cost

A lack of adequate liability insurance has put an end to a project honoring military veterans by flying American flags on utility poles in Maine’s smallest town. The Kennebec Journal reports Randolph Fire Association fundraised for about a year before …

How Police Dog Bites Woman Became a Federal Case

Dog bites man may not be a news story — but in nine western states, it’s grounds for a constitutional case. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has allowed a lawsuit by a woman who fell asleep …