Washington Suit Settled for $250K over Abuse

September 23, 2021

A man who accused Seattle police officers of physical abuse after they entered his home two years ago during a welfare check has reached a $250,000 settlement with the city.

Under the settlement, the city didn’t admit wrongdoing and Howard McCay, 74, got a payment and an audience with the department’s leadership.

McCay said he woke early on Feb. 23, 2019 thinking intruders were entering his two-story home in Seattle’s Cherry Hill neighborhood.

He called 911 and found out the intruders where Seattle police officers who were responding to a welfare check after a neighborhood resident called the city’s non-emergency number to report that the front door to McCay’s home was open.

McCay had left his television volume turned up in his upstairs bedroom and didn’t hear the officers’ commands. The officers forcefully handcuffed him and finally asked if he was the homeowner.

The Office of Police Accountability, a civilian review board, investigated the incident and found officers had followed the department protocol’s and procedures in the case.

McCay and his lawyers disagreed, filing a $5 million lawsuit against the city in March. Both sides settled in July with McCay receiving $122,500 and the law firm representing him receiving $127,500.

Topics Lawsuits Washington

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