City of Austin Settles Excessive Force Lawsuit for $1.5 million

In the excessive force lawsuit filed against the City of Austin in Washington v. Olsen, No. 1:07-cv-00944-LY, the family of Kevin Brown claimed that their son was unarmed and not a danger when approached by Austin Police Officer Michael Olsen at a pub last October 2007, when he ran from the officer after being approached by the officer. Olson fired two fatal shots at Brown. Olsen was eventually fired from his position with the Austin Police Department.

While not all incidents involving an officer’s use of force to subdue or investigate a person give rise to a claim for civil damages, there are instances where such force used to subdue can be too much. For example, beating or tasing an innocent person, shooting someone who does not present a threat or using force in excess of the need under the circumstances, may be actionable in civil court. In the case of Kevin Brown the suit claimed that Brown was unarmed and pose no threat to either Officer Olson or the general public at the time of the incident late October 2007 in Austin, Texas.

Childbirth Lawsuit From Illinois Mom

Former Chicago police officer Catherine Skol filed a civil suit in Cook County, Illinois over doctor's actions. The lawsuit alleges that Dr. Scott Pierce—a fill-in for Skol's doctor who was out of town—arrived four hours later and immediately chastised Skol for not calling ahead, according to the Chicago Tribune. For the full story see:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-delivery-lawsuit-16-dec16,0,1637494.story

The suit also alleged that Dr. Pierce told a nurse that Skol deserved to feel the pain because she had not called ahead. Besides not giving Skol the pain medication, the doctor "...conducted a painful vaginal exam in the middle of a contraction and then told Skol to start pushing, despite not being fully dilated, according to the suit." Both the Rush University Medical Center Hospital and the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation are investigating the claim.

In Texas, an adult victim of malpractice will have two years to file a lawsuit, while a child under twelve has until the age of fourteen.

Employment Discrimination Verdicts On The Rise

According to a 2008 Jury Verdict Research, employment discrimination verdicts have been on the rise and in favor of plaintiffs' cases. Most employment cases settle out of court, but on those cases that do go to trial, jury verdicts have risen.

• In 2007, the median discrimina­tion verdict rose some 70 percent to $252,000 from $147,000 in 2006.
• Employers won only 38 percent of discrimination cases in 2007, prevailing most often in race discrimination cases (43 percent) and losing most frequently in sex discrimination cases (30 percent).
• Employers in the manufacturing and industrial sectors had the biggest verdicts, followed by the government, transportation and service sectors.
(Source: Employment Practice Liability: Jury Award Trends and Statistics, 2008 report by Jury Verdict Research).

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of employment or sex discrimination at work or on your job, the employment lawyers at the Lorenzana Law Firm, P.C. can assist you with your employment law case. Give us a call at (512) 338-0529 or visit us at: http://www.lorenzanalegal.com/