Jury finds for city in ex-police officer’s discrimination suit

A jury has sided with the city in the discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a former police officer terminated after, according to the city, he used excessive force against a man who was handcuffed.

While Yoki Maurx, who is black, argued that he lost his job in retaliation for his complaints about race discrimination, the city held that Maurx “made decisions with serious disciplinary consequences.”

Maurx’s attorney Donald Gilpin did not immediately return requests for comment Friday afternoon.

City attorney Kellie Garcia said the city was pleased with the jury’s decision and explained that Maurx was terminated in 2013 after violating multiple APD procedures, including a policy that prohibits excessive use of non-deadly force.

“Mr. Maurx pulled a handcuffed prisoner through the city’s Prisoner Transport Center, which is roughly 101 feet,” Garcia said, adding that the prisoner at one point hit his head on a door frame.

“When we see a really bad use of force like the one that we saw from Mr. Maurx, we’re going to take action,” she

said. “That’s what we did here. It had nothing to do with race and nothing to do with retaliation, and everything to do with Mr. Maurx’s own actions.”

The trial began Monday, and jurors began deliberating Thursday afternoon. They returned a verdict Friday afternoon.

Maurx argued in his lawsuit that dozens of non-black APD officers found to have violated excessive force policy were never terminated.

Maurx said he complained in 2010 of discrimination by his supervisor, who once physically threatened him, and constantly demeaned and criticized him.

“As a result of these complaints,” he said in his suit, “(Maurx) was retaliated against and demoted to a transport officer.”

He was later reinstated to his position as a police officer, but was suspended in 2012 for violating APD’s social media policy. He held that he did not violate department policy and was again being retaliated against for his previous complaints about discrimination.

He sought damages for lost wages and emotional distress, Garcia said.