Patrick Brian Owen v. City of Tulsa

Patrick Owen, age 51, sued the City of tulsa, Ian J. Simmons, Jerad Lindsey, Mark Wollmershauser and others on a civil rights violation theory under 42 U.S.C. 1983 claiming that Tulsa Police Department officers Mark Wollmershauser, Jerad Lindsey and James Weakly used excessive force then they went to his house in March 2007 in response to a complaint call about children who were jumping off a shed onto a trampoline in Owen's yard. A video of the Owen's interaction with the responding officers reflected that Wollmershauser threatened to harm Owen and then suffered a punctured lung, four broken ribs which later resulted in an infection. Owen was hospitalized for 11 days and was placed on life support at one point with a dismal prognosis.

Owen was charged with assaulting a police officer and with resisting arrest. The charges were eventually dropped after the video of the encounter made by the neighbor who made the initial called the police surfaced.

The defendant offices were exonerated by a Tulsa Police Department internal affairs investigation and they denied wrongdoing in response to the allegations made by Owen.

Settled for $270,000.00.

Editor's Note: For more information about this case and other excessive use of force cases, see: MoreLaw's Excessive Force Digest