PWRFL obtains highest settlement against City of Tukwila for unlawful use of force by police officers.

On May 12, 2012, Tukwila Police officers ordered brothers Jahmez Amili and Charles Chappelle to “stop” as part of an investigation into an incident aboard a party bus.

When the brothers, who had done nothing wrong, refused to do so, the chief officer on duty pointed his taser at both men, who stopped and raised their arms in acquiescence.

Then the chief officer, along with four other police officers, tackled the two brothers and began beating and pepper-spraying them. The beating was captured on the dash camera of one of the officers.

PWRFL represented Mr. Amili and Mr. Chappelle against the City of Tukwila. Early on in the case, PWRFL won a crucial motion against the City, convincing the federal judge assigned to the case to hold that the stop itself was unlawful as a matter of law. Finally, after extensive litigation, the City of Tukwila settled the claim, and agreed to pay the two men a total of $425,000, the highest payout by the City of Tukwila for its recent rash of police beatings and settlements.