Benjamin Montemayor’s $1,500,000 Settlement Represents the Largest Settlement Achieved to Date Against the LAPD in Cases Arising from the George Floyd Protests of 2020
See the article in the times here: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-17/protester-injured-by-lapd-projectile-2020-settlement
Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai (“HSRD”) partners Dan Stormer, David Clay Washington, Morgan Ricketts, and Brian Olney secured a $1,500,000 settlement in a civil rights case on behalf of a demonstrator at the George Floyd Protests of 2020. Plaintiff Benjamin Montemayor had been protesting peacefully on Hollywood Boulevard for several hours when a throng of at least 50 police officers descended upon his group and began firing munitions at the crowd. Within minutes and without provocation, Officer Henry Felix shot Mr. Montemayor in the groin with a 40mm foam projectile causing such severe damage that it required a surgical procedure to reattach portions of his genitals.
According to HSRD Partner David Clay Washington, “The LAPD’s response to demonstrations was chaotic and excessive in 2020, and despite independent investigations and dozens of lawsuits, it remains that way today. We saw it most recently in the LAPD’s response to the demonstrations at UCLA. This settlement compensates Mr. Montemayor for his pain and suffering. It also puts the public on notice of the harm associated with a police department that persistently violates the rights of Angelenos and fails to report catastrophic uses of force. Hopefully this outcome will serve as a clarion call to our elected officials that enough is enough.”
Partner Morgan Ricketts commented, “Protesters really are the best of us. They believe that change is possible, and that it is our collective duty to fight for it. We’re proud to fight for them.”
“At some point the LAPD needs to end its cowardly attacks on innocent citizens. Until Mayor Bass decides to act, this horrific and lawless behavior will continue,” said Founding Partner Dan Stormer.
Mr. Montemayor says, “There is an ongoing need for the LAPD to answer for their malfeasant conduct against demonstrators. I believe this case acts as a building block for others to continue challenging institutionalized violence. This settlement shows that there are repercussions for police misconduct against the people they have sworn to protect. If financial restitution is one of the only languages a broken system speaks, then we must make it speak in volumes until the sound is inescapable: everyday citizens’ rights are not just theoretical concepts.”