Settlement Reached on Police Brutality Case
Posted on September 27, 2012 Written By: iadminlaw
Seal of the University of California
An act of police brutality can cause serious personal injuries to those who are victimized. Last year, a group of university students were pepper-sprayed on the University of California, Davis campus by police officers. As of recently, a payment of $30,000 is being offered to each of the 21 victims involved in the incident.
A lawsuit was filed against the officers last year by the people who were treated aggressively. In November 18, 2011, a group of students and recent graduates sat and linked arm in arm to peacefully protest Wall Street. However, a video taken by a witness of police officers needlessly spraying students in the face with pepper spray was published online and quickly went viral. An outcry from students, alumni, and views alike rallied for justice.
A civil lawsuit was quickly put into place. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit has claimed that the pepper-spraying incident has caused a divide between campus police and students. Since the incident, many of the students have become wary of the police. The relationship between the two parties must now be repaired.
The University of California has agreed to pay $1 million in settlement in response to the lawsuit filed against them. The victims also want a personal written apology from the UC-Davis Chancellor. Others are rallying for the Chancellor to be removed from her job position.
The settlement agreement must still be approved by a federal judge. The amount of money will be used to pay back the 21 students for any pain and suffering they may have had to endure. Several students claimed to have suffered from panic attacks, failing grades, and trauma. One student has spoken up and said he will use the money he received to pay for tuition. Other students claim they will do the same.
The settlement deal also includes $250,000 in attorney fees.
A task force also blamed the pepper-spray incident on poor communication between the school campus and protesting students. This protest incident has catapulted the UC Davis campus into the spotlight. The normally quiet campus then became one of the most national and publicized anti-Wall Street protest.
The police are here to keep and maintain the peace, not to abuse their position and cause harm to the very citizens they ought to be protecting. Police brutality results in personal injury, pain and suffering. If you have suffered from the injustice of a police misusing their power, contact a Garden Grove injury attorney today. Don’t put up with injustice, call a Garden Grove attorney and fight for your rights today.
