The city of Baltimore is set to pay out $98,000 to settle a free speech lawsuit filed by a “former deputy who sued Sheriff John W. Anderson for firing him after he spoke out about a raid that resulted in him getting shot.” The payment will be issued by Baltimore’s Board of Estimates, “which is controlled by Mayor Catherine Pugh.” The decision to settle was made when the former deputy, James Lane, agreed to drop the lawsuit if the payment was issued. It’s important to note that this latest payment is in addition to “a $160,000 settlement approved by the state’s Board of Public Works in January.”
The city of Baltimore is set to pay out $98,000 to settle a free speech lawsuit filed by a “former deputy who sued Sheriff John W. Anderson for firing him after he spoke out about a raid that resulted in him getting shot.” The payment will be issued by Baltimore’s Board of Estimates, “which is controlled by Mayor Catherine Pugh.” The decision to settle was made when the former deputy, James Lane, agreed to drop the lawsuit if the payment was issued. It’s important to note that this latest payment is in addition to “a $160,000 settlement approved by the state’s Board of Public Works in January.”
But what were the specifics behind Lane filing the lawsuit in the first place? How was his right to free speech violated? What happened? Well, back in 2008 Lane joined his fellow officers on a raid to arrest a “suspect as a member of the Warrant Apprehension Task Force.” However, during the raid, gunfire broke out and Lane, who had already served as a deputy for 13 years, was shot in the face. While an internal investigation claimed Lane was shot by the suspect, Lane “suspected he was shot accidentally by another law enforcement officer.” When he voiced his doubts and concerns to his superior officers, he was “told to forget about it.”
Understandably upset that his doubts were dismissed, Lane then took his concerns to the media, “alleging a cover up.” Unfortunately, shortly after he spoke to the media, he was fired from his job. According to court records, his superiors said they “could no longer trust the deputy’s reliability and credibility.”
Despite being fired, Lane didn’t back down and decided to file a lawsuit “in Baltimore Circuit Court.” He won the case initially, though the court decision was later overturned “by the Court of Special Appeals.” So, Lane “took his case to the federal courts” in 2014, “claiming retaliation for exercising his free-speech rights.” Unfortunately for Lane, the U.S. District Court for Maryland dismissed his case, prompting him to file an appeal to the “4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.” From there, the appeals court “upheld most of Lane’s key arguments and sent the case back to the district court with instructions to reconsider the deputy’s claims in light of previous appellate decisions.”
For now, it appears Lane will have to wait a bit longer to see how his case will play out.
Sources:
Baltimore to pay $98K to settle free speech lawsuit against sheriff
Baltimore to consider $98K settlement with fired sheriff’s deputy
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