Alabama man gets $1,000 in police settlement, his lawyers get $459,000
17 replies, posted
[url]http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/23/us-usa-alabama-police-idUSKCN0IC05720141023[/url]
[QUOTE]Warren is serving a 20-year sentence for attempted murder stemming from his running over a police officer during the chase, in which he also hit a school bus and a patrol car before crashing and being ejected from his vehicle.
Under the terms of the settlement of Warren's 2009 federal suit, in which he accused five Birmingham police officers of excessive force, his attorneys will receive $100,000 for expenses and $359,000 in fees, said Michael Choy, an attorney representing the officers on behalf of the city.
The agreement was reached last month and approved on Tuesday by the Birmingham City Council.
The city settled to avoid further litigation and the risk of a higher payout, Choy said.[/QUOTE]
[quote]$359,000 in fees[/quote]
Someone please justify this.
[QUOTE=Aide;46320354]Someone please justify this.[/QUOTE]
There really is no justification, most lawyers tend to ask for a chunk in fees.
Also [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tort_reform[/url] - if you want, you could read this article; an interesting outlook on why there should be changes made to the current tort systems in most courts.
i've never heard this story and i'm slightly confused
he tried to run over a police officer, hit a bus and then a patrol car, and he got a settlement?
[QUOTE=ZeFruitNazi;46320435]i've never heard this story and i'm slightly confused
he tried to run over a police officer, hit a bus and then a patrol car, and he got a settlement?[/QUOTE]
He sued the officers for using excessive force in his arrest.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PawqEigSes[/media]
He got a settlement because the cops stood around cartoonishly kicking the fuck out of his unconscious body. v:v:v
Remember this is the same Birmingham that gave us such gems as
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o54n7HXwOhc[/media]
Guess he really should have read the fine print a bit more, sucks for the guy.
[QUOTE=Aide;46320354]Someone please justify this.[/QUOTE]
Lawyers knew that their client wouldn't read the fine print and so they took advantage of it
Excessive force isn't isn't a good term to use when describing their behavior.
They were abusing an unconscious person. That would be a form of assault, no? Of course it was rage induced, so I'd call it a crime of passion - meaning the assault charges should be lessened.
[QUOTE=Kardia;46320969]Excessive force isn't isn't a good term to use when describing their behavior.
They were abusing an unconscious person. That would be a form of assault, no? Of course it was rage induced, so I'd call it a crime of passion - meaning the assault charges should be lessened.[/QUOTE]
The guy was still unconscious though so it wasn't justifiable at all.
[QUOTE=JohnFisher89;46320669]Guess he really should have read the fine print a bit more, sucks for the guy.[/QUOTE]
Dude ran over a police officer. I don't have sympathy for him only getting $1000.
The main takeaway here is be a lawyer
[QUOTE=n0cturni;46321756]Dude ran over a police officer. I don't have sympathy for him only getting $1000.[/QUOTE]
He didn't actually hit the officer, but he tried.
Tbh it would probably be hard to keep my cool if someone just tried to deliberately kill my buddy.
I'm glad he didn't get a huge payout. It's not like he was dragged out of a car and beaten for running a red light.
edit:
Oh I re watched the video, I guess he really did hit him. Last time I saw it was ages ago.
[QUOTE=Kardia;46320969]Excessive force isn't isn't a good term to use when describing their behavior.
They were abusing an unconscious person. That would be a form of assault, no? Of course it was rage induced, so I'd call it a crime of passion - meaning the assault charges should be lessened.[/QUOTE]
An act being understandable doesn't make it justifiable.
[editline]25th October 2014[/editline]
Otherwise, you could use the same justification to lessen charges against the guy who ran over a cop and hit a school bus.
[QUOTE=Aide;46320354]Someone please justify this.[/QUOTE]
As a rule of thumb there are two payment methods lawyers will offer you. (sometimes combined) and a lot of it depends on the scale of the suit.
a) flat percentage of your winnings
b) per acts the attorney does (often these are definedd ahead of time)
The guy may have had a belief that the suit would be significantly shorter and cheaper so went with the second option. Alternatively, part of this payment method may be paid by the other side as long as it is within the predefined price ass given by the national lawyer codex.
Most legal fees are actually defined by law and by codexes. The reason they are often so high is that they ought to exist as a certain deterrent. You should sue someone only if you do actually feel like you have a large chance of winning.
Those lawyers aren't getting as much. In som cases they will get reimbursed for expenses and fees they've already payed.
[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;46327432]He didn't actually hit the officer, but he tried.
Tbh it would probably be hard to keep my cool if someone just tried to deliberately kill my buddy.
I'm glad he didn't get a huge payout. It's not like he was dragged out of a car and beaten for running a red light.
edit:
Oh I re watched the video, I guess he really did hit him. Last time I saw it was ages ago.[/QUOTE]
While I agree that its hard to keep your cool if someone just attempted to take the life of a fellow officer, and the kicks/punches post-crash were unprofessional at best.
I'm glad he's not receiving any more compensation (The chunk the Lawyers' get is ridiculous), a few kicks and punches only bruise. Him being ejected from his own vehicle because he initiated the whole chase, hitting an officer/bus is his own goddamn fault. Pay for your own injuries because of your own dumbfuck decisions.
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