St. Paul reaches agreement to pay resident $86,500 in federal police brutality suit
The city of St. Paul has reached an agreement to pay resident Deshun Carter $86,500 to settle a federal police brutality lawsuit.
The agreement is expected
to be confirmed by the city council at its Wednesday, May 9 meeting.
Carter won a $35,000
punitive damages award from a federal jury last month. With attorney's fees,
the final output by the city could have been higher without the settlement,
which also stops any further legal action from either side.
The agreement is "not
to be construed as an admission of liability," the city asserted.
Carter, 31, alleged that
St. Paul police attacked him while he was barbecuing in his back yard on Sept.
26, 2009.
A federal jury ruled on
April 16 that Officer Adam Bailey used excessive force on Carter.
Carter had alleged that
Bailey and Officer Thomas Weinzettel attacked him with Mace and a Taser and
assaulted him.
The jury ruled that
Weinzettel had not used excessive force.
The $86,500 award is to be
shared by Carter and his attorney, Ashwin Madia.
At the
time of the incident, Carter was charged in criminal court with disorderly
conduct, obstructing legal process and having a loud car stereo. A Ramsey
County jury acquitted him.
Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal hearings into the police problem in America. Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a permanent DOJ office on Police Misconduct.