By Steven Crighton
EAST HARTFORD — The Town
Council has approved a $35,000 settlement in a lawsuit that claims police used
excessive force against a suspect and refused him medical attention.
Council Chairman Richard Kehoe
said today that when the council reviews settlements for litigation, it has to
“weigh the potential significant cost to the taxpayer should we lose” a case if
it’s brought to court.
“While the council did not feel
the police officers involved had done anything wrong, there was a concern that
a jury might feel otherwise and impose a significant damage award on the town,”
Kehoe said. “We therefore felt this was a reasonable settlement to eliminate the
potential of a much larger award.”