67-year-old paralysed by police settled his case with the Yuba City Police Department for $20 million.
Gregory Gross filed a lawsuit against the Yuba City Police Department in 2022 as a result of the officers’ use of “pain compliance” tactics on April 12, 2020, which amounted to excessive force.
Gross repeatedly stated that he could not feel his legs throughout the encounter, but police officers disregarded his cries for assistance.
The cops can be seen in the video provided by Gross’s attorneys ignoring Gross’s breathing problems as they held him facedown on the grass outside a hospital.
Authorities exploited the fact that Gross was driving while intoxicated and involved in a slow-speed incident to justify their aggressive behaviour.
Gross underwent two surgeries to fuse his spine after the tragedy, which caused him to break his neck. He is unable to move or take care of himself and will require 24-hour nursing care for the remainder of his life.
One of the biggest police misconduct settlements in California history, the $20 million agreement sets a precedent for holding law enforcement accountable for their acts.
Additionally, Yuba City consented to begin inspecting bodycam footage of its police officers on a sporadic basis and analysing use-of-force instances.
During a news conference, Police Chief Brian Baker apologised to Gross on behalf of the force and stated that Gross’s wellbeing had been on their minds ever since the incident.
Gross, who expressed satisfaction with the outcomes, stated that Yuba City’s adjustments are crucial for preventing similar occurrences from happening again.
Additionally, he gave the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation $20,000 in donations.
Deronda Harris, Gross’s 13-year companion, expressed her appreciation for the settlement’s completion and her hope that it will put an end to their nightmare.
Additionally, in 2021, Gross filed separate lawsuits saying that Rideout Memorial Hospital in Marysville and the University of California, Davis Medical Centre were responsible for his health.
Collins, Gross’s lawyer, has refrained from speaking about the litigation’ status, claiming client confidentiality.
We are not against the police, said Gross’s attorney Moseley Collins. “We support the police, but when it happens, we oppose police brutality.”
The majority of people, as seen by his remarks, support law enforcement and their responsibility to look out for and assist the community.
But before any more people are hurt, police brutality must be stopped. It has no place in law enforcement.
In 2021, Democratic governor Gavin Newsom approved legislation forbidding police from employing specific facedown holds that have resulted in numerous unintentional fatalities.
Following the murder of George Floyd, the state’s ban on chokeholds was intended to be strengthened.
These more stringent rules should reduce the number of instances of police violence and show that authoritarianism has no place in the field of law enforcement.
This incident serves as a reminder of the value of transparency and accountability in law enforcement, as well as the serious repercussions that can result from police brutality, including the death or serious injury of victims.
The $20 million settlement that Gross received brings law enforcement accountability one step closer, but much more work needs to be done to ensure that such incidents never happen again.