municipal liability News

Maryland to Audit Deaths of 100 People Held in Police Custody

Maryland will review about 100 autopsies of people who died in police custody involving physical restraint because of concerns about the state’s former medical examiner’s testimony in the death of George Floyd, the state’s attorney general said. A team of …

New Hampshire County Defeats ‘Deliberate Indifference’ Claim Over Inmate’s Death

A federal court has dismissed claims that New Hampshire’s Hillsborough County, along with the nurses and outside medical providers for the county’s Valley Street Jail, are liable in the death of an inmate who experienced alcohol withdrawal and later died. …

Investigation Uncovers Significant Radioactive Waste at Missouri Elementary School

FLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) — There is significant radioactive contamination at an elementary school in suburban St. Louis where nuclear weapons were produced during World War II, according to a new report by environmental investigation consultants. The report by Boston Chemical …

Indiana Teen’s Parents Sue City Over Fatal Crash Involving Police Chase

The parents of a northern Indiana teenager who died along with her boyfriend when a vehicle being chased by police crashed into their car in 2020 is suing the city of Mishawaka. The lawsuit filed by Elizabeth Johnson-Neher’s parents alleges …

Woman Who Gave Birth on Cell Floor Sues, Says Nurses Ignored Her Cries for Help

A woman who said she was left to give birth to her baby alone on the dirty floor of her jail cell in Maryland filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging that jail nurses ignored her screams and pleas for helps …

Maryland County Settles Lawsuit Over Police Encounter With 5-Year-Old

Officials say Maryland’s Montgomery County has agreed to pay $275,000 to settle a lawsuit that grew from an encounter between a 5-year-old boy and two police officers at East Silver Spring Elementary School. The Washington Post reports that a recording …

Firefighter Sues Rochester Over Party Couple Defends as ‘Anti-Liberal’ Not Racist

ROCHESTER, N.Y. —A Rochester couple who a Black firefighter accused of throwing a racist pool party this summer mocking the Juneteenth holiday said Tuesday that the party was intended to ridicule liberal politicians but wasn’t bigoted. The couple, dentist Nicholas …

Jury Awards Virginia Landlord $50K Over Being Tasered in False Arrest

A jury has awarded $50,000 to a northern Virginia landlord who was shot three times with a stun gun when sheriff’s deputies wrongly arrested him following a tenant’s complaint. Matthew Souter, 57, of The Plains, Virginia, was arrested at his …

Former Virginia Deputy Attorney General Sues After Losing Job Over Jan. 6 Comments

A former deputy Virginia attorney general who says she was fired over social media posts in which she praised the Capitol rioters as “patriots” and falsely claimed Donald Trump won the 2020 election is suing the attorney general’s office for …

Small New Hampshire Town Political Spats Devolve Into Defamation, Free Speech Claims

The small town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire and a selectman who owns a winery have successfully defended themselves against multiple claims of defamation brought by a well-known and politically active local couple. But the town must face further legal proceedings …