Arizona
Related: About this forumShooting by ex-cop poses $75 million hit for Mesa
The controversial verdict that cleared a former Mesa police officer of murder in a dramatic shooting captured by a body cam spared Philip Mitch Brailsford from a potential prison sentence, but the case is far from over for Mesa taxpayers.
Mesa still faces millions of dollars in potential liability in a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by Laney Sweet, the widow of Daniel Shaver, 26, a Texas pest control worker who was seen in the disturbing video begging for his life as he crawled in the hallway of an East Mesa hotel on Jan. 18, 2016.
Sweet is seeking damages of more than $100 million.
Brailsford, 27, shot the unarmed father of two, after Shaver appeared to reach behind his back. Lawyers for Sweet say Shaver was trying to pull up his loose-fitting gym shorts, but Brailsford and former Sgt. Charles Langley said they feared he might have been reaching for a gun.
The city fired Brailsford a couple of weeks after the Maricopa County Attorneys Office took the unusual step of charging him with second-degree murder and negligent manslaughter. A jury found him not guilty of both crimes in early December, after Brailsfords defense attorney argued he was following his training.
Read more: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/shooting-by-ex-cop-poses-million-hit-for-mesa/article_ff9d2f88-fd64-11e7-93cc-e35df186dd69.html
JDC
(10,130 posts)TexasTowelie
(112,347 posts)Even though there is a $3 million deductible, the city only has $50 million of insurance in excess of the deductible.
While it is difficult to put a price tag on a life I am also concerned when potential legal settlements become the equivalent of winning the lottery. The article said that the decedent was also intoxicated so there will be a reduction in a court award because of the comparative responsibility law, but I think that the plaintiff's attorney is dreaming of a paycheck and will be disappointed.
I don't know if you clicked on the article, but I'm a bit surprised that they allow the officer to have that much body ink showing. The possibility that he was a gang member impersonating a cop would be a consideration.