Alabama man gets $1,000 in police settlement, his lawyers get $459,000

Lawyers are scum. I don't think anyone should have gotten a penny in this case.

(Reuters) - An Alabama man who sued over being hit and kicked by police after leading them on a high-speed chase will get $1,000 in a settlement with the city of Birmingham, while his attorneys will take in $459,000, officials said Wednesday.

The incident gained public attention with the release of a 2008 video of police officers punching and kicking Anthony Warren as he lay on the ground after leading them on a roughly 20-minute high-speed chase.

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.

Warren's attorneys, Wendy Brooks Crew, Alyson Hood Rains and Cameron Hogan, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/23/us-usa-alabama-police-idUSKCN0IC05720141023

SOMEONE has to pay for that new motorhome.

$1000 for running over a cop and hitting a school bus?

Well, they DID kick the shit out of 'em while he was unconscious.  The most common justification for beating the stew out of a "suspect" would be resistance.   Video shows that this dude didn't move a muscle after being thrown out of that vehicle.  There was no justification for the beating his unconscious body took.

Please don't get the idea that I am a bleeding heart for this guy.  He's surely a dirtbag.

However, I think the LEOs have a duty to do their jobs... not dispense justice.

Eric wrote:

Well, they DID kick the shit out of 'em while he was unconscious.  The most common justification for beating the stew out of a "suspect" would be resistance.   Video shows that this dude didn't move a muscle after being thrown out of that vehicle.  There was no justification for the beating his unconscious body took.

Please don't get the idea that I am a bleeding heart for this guy.  He's surely a dirtbag.

However, I think the LEOs have a duty to do their jobs... not dispense justice.

I agree. The guy is a dirt bag. but it appears the lawyer are too. I think this is wrong.

Chrissy wrote:

Eric wrote:

Well, they DID kick the shit out of 'em while he was unconscious.  The most common justification for beating the stew out of a "suspect" would be resistance.   Video shows that this dude didn't move a muscle after being thrown out of that vehicle.  There was no justification for the beating his unconscious body took.

Please don't get the idea that I am a bleeding heart for this guy.  He's surely a dirtbag.

However, I think the LEOs have a duty to do their jobs... not dispense justice.

I agree. The guy is a dirt bag. but it appears the lawyer are too. I think this is wrong.

Sounds to me like all parties involved are dirtbags... starting with the asshole who led them on a high speed chase hitting a school bus and running over a cop, to the cops themselves, right around to the thieving lawyers.

riceme wrote:

Chrissy wrote:

Eric wrote:

Well, they DID kick the shit out of 'em while he was unconscious.  The most common justification for beating the stew out of a "suspect" would be resistance.   Video shows that this dude didn't move a muscle after being thrown out of that vehicle.  There was no justification for the beating his unconscious body took.

Please don't get the idea that I am a bleeding heart for this guy.  He's surely a dirtbag.

However, I think the LEOs have a duty to do their jobs... not dispense justice.

I agree. The guy is a dirt bag. but it appears the lawyer are too. I think this is wrong.

Sounds to me like all parties involved are dirtbags... starting with the asshole who led them on a high speed chase hitting a school bus and running over a cop, to the cops themselves, right around to the thieving lawyers.

Yep. A giant group of assholes. But only one got punished. Some got nothing and a few got rich. I probably wouldn't give a shut about any of this because they are all dirt bags. But it strikes me wrong that the lawyers got so much money. It's almost like the justice system shoved it up the mans ass one more time.

And Birmingham isn't exactly swimming in money. Jefferson County, the county that Birmingham is in, is trying to come out of a bankruptcy... and B'ham isn't far behind 'em.

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Good observation, Ricey.

yep, why award anything if that's what they were going to do?

doesn't make sense