HARTFORD, CT – (November 29, 2010) – In a federal §1983 claim alleging violations of the plaintiff’s Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures, Catherine S. Nietzel recently obtained a defendants’ verdict for two Fairfield County policeman accused of excessive force and malicious prosecution.
A federal district court jury deliberated just slightly over one day in this case involving a young man who had just committed a burglary. The plaintiff had led the police on a high speed car chase in the early morning hours which culminated in a foot pursuit through woods and fields covering a large residential area. The plaintiff hid himself underneath a car and had to be pulled out from underneath. He claimed police then beat him up, but police countered that he tried to escape and had to be tackled to the ground.
The plaintiff suffered three broken facial bones in the course of these events and was taken immediately to a local hospital for treatment. The criminal jury had convicted the plaintiff of the rest of the charges, including burglary, larceny and resisting arrest.
See this news story as reported by the Danbury News Times.