Man who won $22.4M jury award wants apology for being shot by cop
WEST PALM BEACH — A man who recently won a $22.4 million jury award after being paralyzed in a deputy shooting, said Thursday that he forgives the person who shot him, but still wants an apology.
“You can’t just hold a grudge against someone just because of what they did,” Dontrell Stephens said of sheriff’s Deputy Adams Lin, who shot him four times in September 2013 while stopping him for a bicycle infraction.
“I would like an apology. That’s what I would like.”
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, which has appealed the case, called the incident an “unfortunate encounter” in a statement after the verdict but did not apologize or admit wrongdoing.
During testimony, Deputy Adams Lin said he’d shoot again in the exact same circumstances because he thought a dark object coming toward him was a gun. Lin is still on the force and has been promoted to sergeant.
The object in Stephens’ hand was a cellphone.
By continuing to fight the case, the Sheriff’s Office is denying much-needed medical care to Stephens, who had developed serious bed sores that can be lifethreatening, Stephens’ attorney Jack Scarola said Thursday during a press conference in West Palm Beach.
Even though a federal jury ruled in favor of
22-year-old Stephens earlier this month, state law requires the Legislature to approve any damages above $200,000 through a process known as a claims bill.
The jury awarded $23.1 million on Feb. 3, but attorneys agreed to lower it to $22.4 million to more accurately reflect his medical bills. The claims bill process can take a decade or even longer, and it’s possible Stephens won’t ever recover all of the money the jury awarded in his lawsuit alleging excessive force.
“Dontrell Stephens did nothing wrong, and yet at the hands of a Palm Beach County deputy sheriff, he was sentenced to life in a wheelchair and is facing the potential of a death sentence if he doesn’t get the care he needs,” Scarola said.
Stephens faces $2 million in past medical expenses and $5 million in future medical care, he said.
Stephens sleeps on a mattress on the floor of a one-bedroom home he shares with his three brothers and only has access to basic health care in the emergency room, said Evett Simmons, a court-ap- pointed guardian for Stephens.
Lawyers representing the Sheriff’s Office contend that Lin was in fear of his life because he thought a cellphone Stephens was holding was a gun, and the deputy made a reasonable mistake.
The Sheriff ’s Office stands by its statement issued after the decision calling the verdict “shocking and disappointing,” spokeswoman Teri Barbera said in response to the press conference. She did not respond to questions about Stephens’ request for an apology.
It’s possible attorneys for Stephens could avoid filing a claims bill if they can show during an appeal that the Sheriff’s Office policies, practices and procedures amounted to a culture of shooting first and asking questions later, Scarola said.
A federal magistrate dismissed those allegations before trial, but if an appeals court overturned that decision, the cap on damages would not apply, he said.
If a claims bill is filed, lawmakers should act swiftly to send a message to law enforcement, said Darryl Lewis, another attorney representing Stephens. “Police misconduct in this community, in this state, in this country must stop,” he said. “It can’t stop if verdicts go unpaid.”
As for the future, Stephens said he wants to earn his GED diploma.