Latest news with #MarkLindquistLaw
Miami Herald
18-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Cops shot at 30-year-old mom 23 times during mental health crisis in WA, suit says
A city in Washington will pay $2 million to the family of 30-year-old Katelynn Rose Smith, who was shot to death by police officers responding to a 911 call from her boyfriend, who had repeatedly asked for help, her family's attorneys announced. The payment resolves a wrongful death lawsuit that Smith's mother, Danielle Whiting, brought against the city of Longview and three officers in November on six causes of actions, including negligence, according to a news release issued by her attorneys, Mark Lindquist and Angus Lee. Longview agreed on June 16 to pay the $2 million settlement to Whiting and Smith's two children, Lindquist and Lee said, settling the case before trial, which was set for April 21, 2026. Smith's children, now 9 and 14, were 8 and 12 years old when officers shot at Smith 23 times, killing her outside her boyfriend's home on New Year's Day, as detailed in the federal lawsuit. At least 11 bullets hit Smith, according to the suit, which argued the shooting was unnecessary and in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Smith was protected under the federal civil rights law, as the officers knew she was experiencing 'a severe mental health crisis, including suicidal ideation and emotional distress, constituting a recognized disability under the ADA,' the filing says. 'She was kind and loving,' Danielle Whiting, Smith's mother, told McClatchy News. 'She had her whole life ahead of her.' Whiting is now the primary caregiver for her grandchildren, Lindquist, of Mark Lindquist Law in Tacoma, told McClatchy News. In a statement shared with McClatchy News on June 17 by Longview public information officer Angela Abel, the city said it is aware of the settlement reached with Smith's family and that the agreement was overseen by the Washington Cities Insurance Authority. 'Following the incident, all involved officers were cleared of wrongdoing through an internal investigation, an external review, and an independent assessment by the Cowlitz County Prosecutor's Office,' the city said. The city's statement said that after the prosecutor's office reviewed Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team's findings, prosecutors 'determined the use of deadly force was justified and declined to file criminal charges.' The Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team independently investigates officers involved in using deadly force in Cowlitz County as well as neighboring Wahkiakum County. 'The City of Longview takes this matter very seriously and remains confident in our officers, the training they receive, and the protocols they follow,' the city said. Lindquist told McClatchy News that 'the mistakes we saw in this case are not unique to Longview.' 'Many law enforcement agencies need more and better training on how to handle people who are having a mental health crisis,' he added. The Longview Police Department did not return a request for comment. Lindquist and Lee said in the release that Smith graduated high school in 2012 as an honors student, describing her as athletic. She did gymnastics and played high school volleyball. 'She was regularly employed, but occasionally struggled with mental health issues,' they said. What led to the shooting? One of the officers involved in the Jan. 1, 2024, shooting was familiar with Smith and had responded to a prior incident when she was struggling and in need of help, according to the filing. In June 2023, her boyfriend told officers Smith was having a mental health crisis, 'had not been taking her prescribed medications and had attempted self-harm,' the lawsuit says. They assessed Smith, then restrained her and placed her onto a gurney to take her to a medical center where she received treatment under the Involuntary Treatment Act, according to the filing. The lawsuit says her struggles with mental health persisted. On Jan. 1, 2024, she was having a 'severe mental health crisis' and 'announced she intended to end her life,' Lindquist and Lee wrote in the filing. ' That day, she tried to get a gun from inside her boyfriend's home but he physically prevented her from doing so and called 911, as he understood her serious mental health emergency, according to the lawsuit. While on the phone with a dispatcher for about 10 minutes, he said Smith urgently needed help and repeatedly pleaded for assistance, saying she was harming herself, the lawsuit says. After about 12 minutes of him on the phone with a dispatcher, police arrived, according to the lawsuit. When officers found Smith's boyfriend trying to protect her by physically stopping her from entering his home, where firearms were located, they told him to 'back away,' the lawsuit says. Her boyfriend listened and let go of Smith, who then went inside, without the officers intervening, according to the filing. 'Instead, they took up positions outside the home's entrance with weapons drawn, waiting for her to come outside,' the complaint says. At some point, Smith slowly came outside with what the lawsuit says was an unloaded firearm in her hand. In response, officers repeatedly shot her, striking her leg, stomach, chest and in her head, according to the lawsuit, which says they failed to use less-lethal force. 'Ms. Smith suffered immediate emotional distress, shock, and extreme pain,' Lindquist and Lee wrote. One officer had a 40mm impact launcher known as a 'sponge gun' that could have stopped Smith, but did not use it, according to the attorneys, who said they opened fire on Smith when she pointed the unloaded gun toward them. 'This case shows the devastating consequences of tactical failure and disregard for a person in mental health crisis,' Lee said in a statement. 'Police knew she was suicidal and knew there were guns in the home.' 'Instead of preventing access, they created the very danger that led to her death,' Lee added.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Clark County reaches $3.5 million settlement in deputy's fatal shooting of unarmed man
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Clark County has settled the wrongful death lawsuit connected to a deputy's fatal shooting of an unarmed man more than four years ago. Clark County Council voted to approve the $3.5 million settlement surrounding Jenoah Donald's death on Wednesday, according to Mark Lindquist Law. The Tacoma-based firm said the case was set to go to trial in Seattle federal court next month. New recovery treatment center in Portland's central eastside brings 'mix of emotions' 'This outcome honors Jenoah Donald's life and underscores a simple truth: when officers ignore their training and resort to needless lethal force, they will be held accountable,' Attorney Angus Lee said in a statement. 'The family's determination ensures their story will not be forgotten.' The family's lawsuit was sparked by a traffic stop that turned deadly. In February 2021, three deputies with the Clark County Sheriff's Office stopped Donald near NE 68th Street and NE 2nd Avenue in Hazel Dell due to a modified exhaust and defective rear light. Investigators told KOIN 6 the 30-year-old man did not exit the vehicle after he was asked to. 'Vulnerable people' in jeopardy due to Multnomah County budget cuts, public defender says A physical confrontation ensued as Deputy Sean Boyle attempted to get Donald out, punching him in the nose. When the vehicle was knocked into gear, Boyle opened fire twice — with one gunshot hitting Donald. He was hospitalized for about a week before being taken off life support. Later in July 2021, an determined Boyle acted lawfully and that the vehicle from the incident could be constituted as a 'weapon' after being put into gear. Mark Lindquist Law said Donald was on the autism spectrum. The firm also accused the county of having 'constitutionally deficient' policies on deadly force. Molalla city councilor facing felony charges after theft investigation According to a statement from Sheriff John Horch, the deputies acted lawfully. 'We never want to see an incident that results in the loss of another person's life, and any loss of life is tragic,' Horch said. 'In this situation, deputies responded according to training and state law to protect themselves and others. Both the independent investigation and the independent prosecutorial review concluded that the decision to use deadly force was justifiable and done in good faith under state law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
07-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Settlement reached for Chicago, Denver men in 2019 Boeing 737 MAX8 crash in Ethiopia, ahead of trial
A settlement has been reached for two American victims in the Boeing 737 MAX8 plane crash in Ethiopia in 2019 , just ahead of a trial scheduled to begin on Monday in Chicago. The law firms Romanucci and Blandin – representing the families of Antoine Lewis, 39, of Chicago – and Mark Lindquist Law – representing Darcy Belanger, 46, of Denver, Colorado – announced the settlement was reached on Sunday night. Lewis and Belanger were among the 157 people who died in the crash minutes after it took off from the Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia. The firm for Lewis said he was a U.S. Army Captain from suburban Chicago and was on military leave, taking a trip to Africa for opportunities to start a logistics business addressing the systemic supply chain failures. Lewis was also approaching 20 years in the military, which would have made him eligible for his full military pension. He was eyeing a post-military life with his wife, fellow Army soldier Yalena Lopez-Lewis, and their two sons. "This settlement will bring a measure of closure to Lewis' widow, Yalena Lopez-Lewis, but can never make up for this heartbreaking and life-altering loss for his family," attorney Antonio Romanucci said. The firm for Belanger said he was the director of professional development at PCL Construction and a founding member of an environmental nonprofit group. At the time of the crash, he was flying to a United Nations Environmental Assembly where he was scheduled to speak. He left behind his wife Amie and his two parents. "I'm happy for my client. She stood her ground. We are satisfied with the resolution, accountability, and closure," attorney Mark Lindquist said. The terms of the settlements are confidential. "Although these settlements don't bring back their loved ones, hopefully, these settlements will begin to offer some closure to these families who have waited so long for justice. And the fight against Boeing will continue for the remaining cases with the next trial beginning on July 14 and another trial for victims' families currently scheduled for November 3," trial lawyer Robert Clifford said.
