Why Columbus will pay $50,000 for a George Floyd protest lawsuit
View video from the 2020 George Floyd protests in Columbus in the video player above.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A $50,000 settlement has been reached in a lawsuit accusing Columbus police of excessive force during an arrest in the city’s 2020 George Floyd protests.
On March 30, 2022, Alexandra Davis and Austin Williams filed a complaint against the City of Columbus claiming excessive force during the 2020 protests. Williams later voluntarily dropped his claims, despite both alleging officers used excessive force against them. Williams was detained but only Davis was arrested and charged, according to court documents.
Columbus City Council approved a $50,000 settlement agreement on Monday night. According to details from the council agenda, a potential trial would have consisted of an excessive force claim against the City of Columbus, with Davis’ attorneys arguing officers had inadequate training or supervision. Davis claimed her constitutional rights were violated during the protest.
The council agenda named Columbus police officers Robert Davis and Rodney Hall. The City of Columbus, former CPD Chief Thomas Quinlan and at least 15 unnamed law enforcement personnel were also listed as defendants in lawsuit documents.
The defendants filed a motion for summary judgment on January 10, in which their objections to certain findings from the case were sustained. The motion was granted in part and denied in part. In early March, court records show a settlement conference was held.
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Davis and Williams, a couple, were in the downtown area with no intention of protesting on June 29, 2020. There, they witnessed someone having a medical emergency and waited for an ambulance to arrive. They then decided to join the George Floyd protests taking place downtown.
During the protest, Davis did not dispute repeatedly spitting, claiming it was a life-long habit. Court documents said that officers told her to stop spitting or be arrested, but the plaintiff claimed the command was to not spit on the officer involved.
After Davis was told she could not cross the street, she sat down on the sidewalk, near the curb, with her feet in the street. She continued to spit while seated, and was at one point accused of spitting in the direction of an officer. Davis asserted she did not spit on the officer, but on the ground in between her legs. The defendants said it made contact with an officer’s boot.
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The officer then confronted Davis about spitting on his boot, she claimed. Davis responded that she did not spit on his boot, and that it was on her phone because she was livestreaming the protest. She was then told she was under arrest.
From there, Davis and officers’ recollection of what took place during the arrest differs. Davis claimed an officer grabbed her by the neck and dragged her into the street. The defendants claim Davis refused to stand up, so the officer took hold of her wrist before she used “dead weight” to resist being placed in handcuffs.
Both sides recounted a scene that an officer described as “chaotic.” After Davis was removed from the sidewalk, she depicted being “attacked” and “jumped by grown men,” claiming she was ignored by officers when she said they were hurting her, and that she was in pain and couldn’t breathe. Officers said Davis continued to resist arrest by pulling her arms away and kicking at them.
Davis claimed she was not told she was under arrest until officers had their hands on her.
While in the street, Davis told officers she could not comply with orders to stand up and walk into the police van because of an ankle injury. She alleged the officers ignored her concerns and demanded she walk. According to Davis, her ankle buckled and officers dragged her to the van.
Williams allegedly attempted to intervene during Davis’ arrest, grabbing and charging at an officer. Defendants claimed to respond with a “level 1 modified hip toss,” but Williams claimed he was body-slammed, rolled over, and maced after already being detained. Williams voluntarily dropped his claims in the lawsuit.
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In the police van, Davis claimed to have a panic attack, to which officers allegedly did not respond. She then claimed to have briefly passed out at the police station, before having another panic attack and being evaluated by a medic.
Davis claimed to have suffered physical and emotional injuries stemming from the incident. She said she had bruising all over her body, as well as continuing problems with her ankle, knee, back, headaches, blood pressure, and anxiety being exacerbated by the incident.
Three officers — who weren’t involved in the civil lawsuit — later saw criminal charges from the George Floyd protests. However, special prosecutors appointed to their cases eventually dropped charges against two of them. The only officer to face trial, Sergeant Holly Kanode, was acquitted by a judge.
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