Civil Rights Lawyers in Milwaukee, WI
A Milwaukee jury unanimously found that a Milwaukee Police Officer violated the civil rights of our client by falsifying an affidavit in support of a search warrant that led to a SWAT Team invading an innocent man’s home and shooting him in the hand and shoulder (the shooter was attempting to shoot him in the chest.) In this civil rights case, the jury awarded not only $750,000 in compensatory damages but awarded punitive damages of $250,000.
Milwaukee Lawyers Fights Civil Rights Case For Over 5 Years
The City of Milwaukee fought this civil rights case for over 5 years including an appeal to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals (next step the U.S. Supreme Court) which confirmed the client’s right to a jury determination of whether the defendant acted recklessly or intentionally and whether the false affidavit led to the client’s injury. The City of Milwaukee attempted to use the fear of guns claiming that merely because the client owned multiple hunting rifles, the SWAT Team was justified in a executing a “no knock” search warrant with 15 team members, which included the use of an armored vehicle known as the “Bear Cat”, storming his house, shooting him and exercising a technique called a “shield stun” while the client was sitting on the floor, blood spurting from the finger shot from his hand and the wound in his shoulder that tore out much of his deltoid muscle.
Years of hard work by the dedicated civil rights lawyers of Gutglass, Erickson, Larson & Schneider, S.C. led to a positive result and vindicated the client’s claim that he did not fail to comply with police commands. Due to a briefing by the defendant, the SWAT Team was “wired” due to the unsupported belief that the client “disliked the police” leading to the “high man” on the entry team shooting without first warning.
“The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the personal rights that it secures has a long history. At its very core stands the rights of a man to retreat into his own home and there be free from governmental intrusion.” Justice Potter Stewart. A Milwaukee jury held a policeman accountable for our client’s privacy being invaded due to his misconduct and awarded substantial damages.
You can read more on the story here via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal.
