A drunken woman is arrested during a sidewalk melee. Sobered up, she claims the cops broke her ribs, committed assault and battery on her, and violated her civil rights by using excessive force. She sues for $1,000,000. Over time, her lawyer offers to settle for $75,000. An attorney defending the cops guesses that $35,000 — chickenfeed in the high-stakes world of police litigation — would make the suit go away. In many jurisdictions, the case of Shepherd v. Crawford et al. would have been settled — and fast.

But in this case, an assistant city attorney said, “No, we’ll let the matter be decided on its merits.” Maybe a trial will send the message that the municipal treasury is not an ATM machine.  Continue Reading