JGL civil rights attorney, Cary Hansel, was recently quoted in The Daily Record. Commenting on the Court of Special Appeals decision that upheld a Baltimore jury’s verdict against two Baltimore police officers, Hansel stated the court’s decision was a “pretty straightforward interpretation” of the Local Government Tort Claims Act (LGTCA).
In May of 2009, three Baltimore police officers picked up then 15-year-old Michael Brian Johnson Jr. near his West Baltimore home. After driving him around in a police van for several hours, they eventually dropped him off miles away from his home without shoes or a cell phone. A Baltimore jury later found the officers had acted with malice.
By rejecting the appeal attempt to apply the $200,000 cap on damages under LGTCA, the court affirmed the award against the police officers who acted with malice. “The language of the statute is very clear,” said Hansel. “The plain meaning is that [the officer] is fully liable for the full amount and it’s not capped.”
