A six woman and two man jury awarded $23.1 million to Dontrell Stephens who was shot and paralyzed by Palm Beach County sheriff deputy Sgt. Adams Lin. It was ruled that Lin violated the civil rights of Stephens whom he shot thinking that he was armed in the incident that happened in September 2013. However, the 22 year old Stephens will have to wait years before he can collect any of the money or if at all.
This is because Florida law requires the approval of the Legislature on any lawsuit payment over $200,000 against a government agency. Legislators have been known to be reluctant in doing that even in ordinary cases.
The Legislature for instance took three years to approve a $3.5 million settlement that involved a Jacksonville teen who was paralyzed after a broken branch from a tree owned by the city hit him in the head reports Yahoo. Four years was how long it took for the Legislature to approve another settlement worth $10.7 million for a teenager who was left permanently disabled when the speeding vehicle of a sheriff's deputy crashed into her car.The victim was initially awarded $30 million by the jury.
According to ABC News, Stephens was stopped by Lin for riding his bicycle into traffic. He testified that he raised his hands but Lin fired for no reason. Lin, an Asian-American, testified that he fired at Stephens because he reached for his waistband with his left hand and flashed a dark object with his right that Lin thought was a small handgun.
The dashboard camera from Lin's patrol car recorded a video that showed Stephen's left hand was empty while his right hand held a cellphone. The jury apparently did not accept Lin's claim of an "objectively reasonable mistake" of his shooting Stephens. Lin's lawyers can file an appeal and ask for reduced damages.
From the start, Stephens' lawyers have said they would be seeking at least $5 million in damages to cover his medical treatment and future care says The State. They did not say anything about the damages they want for his pain and suffering until the closing arguments. One of his lawyers told jurors that Stephens' deserved at least $18 million for his pain and suffering in addition to the $6 million for his medical and care expenses during his lifetime.
Lin was initially cleared of criminal liability by the sheriff's investigators and local prosecutors. He was even later promoted to sergeant. Meanwhile, his case with Stephens is one of several nationwide deaths of unarmed black males by law enforcement officers.
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