Jimmy Harris v. Officer Santiago Froilan, City of Milwaukee, et al.
Mar 04, 2020OUTCOME: Jury verdict on March 4, 2020 for Plaintiff Harris for $1,670,000. With legal fees, the total verdict is $1,945,000
A jury awarded a man more than $1.9 million for injuries he sustained from a Milwaukee Police officer during a traffic stop. Officer Froilan Santiago stopped Jimmy Harris on Nov. 19, 2010. The offic ... er thought Harris’ car looked black rather than gray, as was listed by the DMV. Santiago told Harris to get out of his car, saying he’d let Harris look at the squad computer. Once out of the vehicle, Harris was allegedly subjected to an illegal pat-down search by Santiago, and the two got into a heated discussion. Santiago attempted to arrest Harris and grabbed his left arm to place him in handcuffs. Harris had just had rotator cuff surgery to his left shoulder. Santiago and Harris started struggling, and other officers arrived to help out. Harris said the struggle resulted in permanent damage to his left shoulder, and the jury agreed, awarding him $1,945,291.77. Jury verdict: $1,945,291.77 Special damages: $132,000 in medical damages – stipulated Jury Verdict: 1. Unlawful stop – $1,750 2. Excessive force, assault and battery – $1,560,000.00 3. Illegal search – $4,125.00 4. Unlawful arrest – $19,313.00 5. Punitive damages against Froilan Santiago – $40,000.00 6. Punitive damages against Walter McCullough – $50,000.00 City of Milwaukee has stipulated to: 7. Legal fees and Costs – $270,103.77 Demand: $2.4 million Offer: $50,000 Date of resolution: March 4 Case name: Jimmy Harris v. City of Milwaukee et al Case type: 1983 Civil Rights Injuries alleged: Shoulder injuries due to police assault/misconduct Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Presiding official: Judge Lynn Adelman Case number: 14-CV-1002 (Eastern District of Wisconsin) Plaintiff’s lawyer: Nate Cade, Cade Law Group LLC, Milwaukee Defendant’s lawyer: Jan Smokowicz and Naomi Gehling, Milwaukee City Attorney’s Office, Milwaukee
