Floyd protesters lawsuit overview:
- Who: A group of individuals who protested the murder of George Floyd filed a class action lawsuit against the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and multiple duly authorized employees of the city and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
- Why: The group argues the police department took unconstitutional action against them during a protest on May 31, 2020.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Florida federal court.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department took unconstitutional action against individuals allegedly peacefully protesting against police brutality at a Florida Atlantic University parking garage following the murder of George Floyd, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs Jayanna Jackson, Mike Gabelus and Scott Ross claim the FLPD deployed indiscriminate force against the protesters while allegedly under the assumption the protesters had violent intentions.
“Mere presence and/or anti-police sentiment and disagreeable speech were deemed indicators of violence that justified the deployment of indiscriminate force,” the George Floyd protest class action says.
Jackson, Gabelus and Ross want to represent a class of people who were present at or near SE 2nd Street and SE 1st Avenue, on May 31, 2020, between 6:50 p.m. and 8:00 p.m and who were subjected to the FLPD’s crowd dispersal tactics.
FLPD failed to declare assembly unlawful prior to tear gas deployment, class action claims
Jackson, Gabelus and Ross claim the FLPD failed to declare the assembly unlawful before allegedly deploying tear gas and kinetic impact projectiles in an effort to disperse the crowd.
“The multiple officers who fired the 100 KIP rounds did not justify or articulate in any reports who they fired at and what that person was doing that would justify or require them to use that level of force with the exception of one,” the George Floyd protest class action says.
Jackson, Gabelus and Ross claim Fort Lauderdale is guilty of violating their constitutional rights through violations of the first, fourth and fourteenth amendments.
The plaintiffs demand a jury trial and request injunctive relief and an award of punitive damages for themselves and all class members.
In a similar case, the city of New York agreed to pay $13.7 million last year to resolve claims the New York Police Department used excessive force against individuals who took part in George Floyd protests in 2020.
Do you think the city violated the protesters’ civil rights? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Michael T. Davis, Benedict P. Kuehne and Johan D. Dos Santos of Kuehne Davis Law PA and Stuart N. Ratzan, Stuart J. Weissman and Kimberly L. Boldt of Ratzan Weissman & Boldt.
The Floyd protesters civil rights class action lawsuit is Jackson, et al. v. City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, et al., Case No. 0:24-cv-60935, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
