$80,000 Jury Award in Texas Excessive Force Claim
by Christopher Zoukis
A jury has awarded a Carrolton, Texas man $80,000 for damages sustained when a police officer used excessive force against him.
Jason Dean Geils was arrested for DUI on December 9, 2009. Carrolton police officer Don Patin brought Geils to the jail, and during the booking process, allegedly threw him against a wall. Geils claimed that he sustained a concussion and laceration as a result of the unprovoked attack.
Geils filed a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force. His attorney showed the jury surveillance video of the incident and argued that it showed Patin picking Geils up from a chair and throwing him against a wall. Patin claimed that he only helped Geils out of the chair, and that Geils fell into the wall due to his intoxication.
On August 21, 2013, the jury found that regardless of whether Geils was thrown into the wall, or "helped" into it, Patin used excessive force. Geils sought $225,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, but the jury awarded him $80,000.
Case: Geils v. Patin, United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, Case No. 3:11-cv-00650-B (August 21, 2013)
As a digital subscriber to Criminal Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
Related legal case
Geils v. Patin
| Cite | United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, Case No. 3:11-cv-00650-B (August 21, 2013) |
|---|
