Ball State police still face excessive force lawsuit
A federal judge’s recent ruling means Ball State University will have to settle or defend itself at trial in a two-year-old civil rights lawsuit filed by a hip-hop artist.
Excessive Force
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Judge affirms 14-month sentence for ex-Putnam County deputy
A federal judge has affirmed his original sentencing decision for a former central Indiana sheriff's deputy convicted of civil rights violations.
Court denies summary judgment in excessive force case
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said there was enough evidence against two officers accused of excessive force while arresting a Hammond man to create material dispute and therefore reversed summary judgment for the officers. The case was remanded to District Court for further proceedings.
7th Circuit finds cop’s sentence ‘light,’ orders resentencing
A Putnam County police officer convicted of purposefully seriously injuring two people while arresting them will be resentenced after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found his 14-month sentence to be “light” in comparison to similar cases.
East Chicago settles lawsuit alleging excessive force
Court records say the city of East Chicago has settled a lawsuit with the family of a now-deceased man who alleged a police officer used excessive force against him in 2012.
Man accused of killing Indianapolis officer suing city
A man facing death penalty charges in connection with the slaying of an Indianapolis police officer is suing the city for excessive force and seeks $2.3 million in damages.
Man’s federal claims against Noblesville police fail
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the lower court ruling granting summary judgment in favor of law enforcement officers on a man’s claims alleging false arrest and excessive force.
Judge limits police expert testimony in excessive force case
A defense expert may not testify whether he believes a Richmond police officer used excessive force when he punched an unruly man in the face three or four times while the man was handcuffed to a hospital gurney.
High court rejects LA appeal over $5.7M jury award to felon
The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that upheld the award to Robert Contreras, who was left paralyzed after police shot him multiple times when he fled the scene of a drive-by shooting in 2005.
Evansville asks US Supreme Court to review SWAT raid ruling
The city of Evansville has asked the Supreme Court of the United States to review a federal appeals court's ruling in a lawsuit filed over a SWAT raid.
Federal judge awards ex-jail inmate $225K in chokehold suit
A federal judge has awarded $225,000 to a former western Indiana jail inmate who alleged a jail officer put him in a chokehold and threw him to the ground.
Police deadly force justified against suicidal man
Police who shot and killed a suicidal man in his Cloverdale home were justified in using deadly force under the circumstances, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
7th Circuit blasts Evansville flash bang search, notes racial factor
Evansville police “committed too many mistakes to pass the test of reasonableness” in a bungled home search and are not shielded from a federal excessive force lawsuit, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
US Supreme Court sides with inmate in excessive force case
The Supreme Court of the United States is making it easier for inmates who are accused of crimes — but not yet convicted — to bring cases of excessive force against jail officials.
Video shows officer using stun gun in traffic stop
A cellphone video released Tuesday shows police in Indiana breaking a car window then using a stun gun on a man after police stopped the driver for not wearing a seat belt. The video, recorded by the driver's 14-year-old son, captured a Sept. 24 confrontation between two adults in the car and police that's the basis of a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court against several officers and the city of Hammond.
Epileptic man’s excessive force, wrongful arrest case proceeds
A man with epilepsy who claims Indianapolis police assaulted and falsely arrested him while he was having a seizure may proceed with numerous claims against the officers and the city, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
7th Circuit: Gunman’s reach for weapon nullifies excessive force claim
A federal court in South Bend rightfully rejected a civil rights claim brought by a man shot by state troopers trying to serve a warrant who found themselves in a six-hour armed standoff, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
7th Circuit won’t excuse IMPD officer from wrongful arrest, excessive force suit
A man’s federal lawsuit against two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers and the city will go forward after a federal judge rejected one officer’s interlocutory appeal.
7th Circuit declines to overturn ruling on excessive force
A man who entered a conditional plea on drug charges couldn’t convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday that it should overturn a ruling that the use of excessive force during an arrest is not a basis for suppressing evidence.
District judge incorrectly dismissed prisoner’s suit for length and unintelligibility
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered U.S. Judge William T. Lawrence to take another look at a federal prisoner’s Bivens lawsuit against prison staff and other unnamed defendants, finding that the lawsuit is actually written clearly and not as long as the judge believed when dismissing it.