Saturday, May 8, 2010

Family settles in Taser death lawsuit

By The Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Relatives of a man who died shortly after Shawnee County deputies used a Taser on him at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in Topeka have settled a wrongful death lawsuit.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that U.S. District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil filed the order terminating the lawsuit this past week.

Fifty-nine-year-old Walter E. Haake Jr., of Lawrence, died March 29, 2008, after he was Tasered three times when he refused medical help in the plant's parking lot.

The lawsuit had named deputies Jason Mills and Shayna Johnson, Sheriff Dick Barta and Shawnee County.

Shawnee County Commissioner Vic Miller said Friday he wouldn't disclose the terms because that might jeopardize the agreement.

Miller says the county commission still needs to vote on the agreement.



Comments

unionman (anonymous) says...

I hope topeka's police department pays dearly!!! This cities police and judicial system runaround like they are untouchable. Looks like they just got a wake-up call.

May 9, 2010 at 1:19 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

biliru (anonymous) says...

Why don't you put your obvious bias on the shelf for a second and re-read the article. The incident involved Shawnee county sheriff's deputies, NOT TPD officers. Only the county and its employees were named in the lawsuit.

And if the case was that strong against the county, why would the plaintiffs settle instead of going to trial?

And finally, where do you think the money will come from to pay the plaintiffs? It will come from tax money collected from each of us. So don't be so glad to give away any more of my money than I already give the county!!

May 9, 2010 at 10:46 p.m. ( | suggest removal )