On Thursday, November 15, 2012, a jury sitting in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania awarded KRMF client Darryl Williams $350,000. Â The jury’s award — which included $200,000 in compensatory damages and $150,000 in punitive damages — was based on its finding that two Philadelphia police officers had falsely arrested and assaulted Mr. Williams on July 3, 2009. Â As a result of the assault, Mr. Williams suffered significant injuries, including facial fractures and a fractured wrist.
The defendant officers claimed that Mr. Williams had possessed a firearm and attempted to flee from them during a routine investigation. Â The officers’ written reports concerning the investigation, however, were riddled with inconsistent statements. Â Based in large part on those inconsistencies and the officers’ acknowledgment that they had violated standard police practices concerning the writing of accurate reports, the jury accepted Mr. Williams’ account that the officers had planted a firearm on him in order to cover up the fact that they had assaulted him.
Mr. Williams’ case was tried by KRMF parter Jonathan Feinberg.