Due to the important nature of the jail and police cases we handle at Budge & Heipt, our cases are frequently featured in the news. In addition, journalists and reporters often seek to interview Ed Budge and Erik Heipt about our views on civil rights violations, including wrongful death or catastrophic injury by police or in jail or prison. Please take some time to read about our firm and our attorneys in the news, and review our blog to learn more about our firm and issues surrounding the cases we take.
Seattle Times reports on $1.75 million settlement obtained by police brutality lawyers, Budge & Heipt: The city of Seattle will pay $1.75 million to a mentally ill man who suffered severe brain damage during a violent arrest involving 15 Seattle police officers in May 2010. Brian Scott Torgerson’s father had filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit […]
The Seattle Times reports on a wrongful shooting case successfully handled by Seattle Civil Rights Attorneys Budge & Heipt: ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————– King County Sheriff John Urquhart pledged Wednesday to change the way his office investigates shootings by deputies after the Metropolitan King County Council heard a highly critical, independent report on a man who was shot […]
The father of an incapacitated man now living at Western State Hospital has sued the Seattle Police Department on his son’s behalf, claiming the mentally ill man suffered brain damage in May 2010 when officers serving a warrant used excessive force to arrest him. The lawsuit names 15 individual officers, and alleges Brian Scott Torgerson, […]
SEATTLE — The family of a man who suffers from mental illness is suing the Seattle Police Department, alleging the man suffered severe brain damage during an arrest last year. Attorney Ed Budge claims 15 Seattle police officers stepped over the line while trying to arrest his client, Brian Torgerson, on May 29, 2010. Torgerson’s […]
OLYMPIA – The city of Olympia has reached a $260,000 settlement with Cynthia Brown, who was illegally strip-searched and shot with a Taser in the city jail in 2008. “I think it’s vindication to some degree,” said Edwin Budge, Brown’s Seattle-based attorney. “It was supposed to send a message to the city…” Despite settling the […]
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The city of Olympia has agreed to pay $260,000 to a woman strip-searched and zapped with a stun gun in the city jail. Cynthia Brown’s lawyer Edwin Budge calls the agreement “vindication to some degree.” While settling, the city denies liability. Its outside counsel for the case, Donald Law, says the […]
OLYMPIA – In an unusual move, the City of Olympia has posted documents on its website relating to the case of Cynthia Brown, who sued the city in September after being illegally strip-searched and shot with a Taser in the city jail in 2008. Councilwoman Rhenda Strub said she had the documents posted after three […]
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A civil rights lawsuit filed by the family of a terroristic threatening suspect who died while in police custody on Maui is moving forward. A federal judge ruled Wednesday night that there’s sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The plaintiffs’ attorneys are pleased, saying they’ve now cleared a major legal […]
The Juneau Empire reports on an alcohol withdrawal death lawsuit settled by the State of Alaska: ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————– The state of Alaska has paid $573,000 to settle a lawsuit over the death of an inmate at the Ketchikan Correctional Center, according to attorneys representing the inmate’s mother. The wrongful death claim involves 31-year-old Troy Wallace, who […]
Ketchikan, Alaska – According to Seattle civil rights attorneys, Ed Budge and Erik Heipt, the State of Alaska has paid $573,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit involving the death of a young man in the state-run Ketchikan Correctional Center. Thirty-one-year old Troy Wallace died in his jail cell during the early morning hours […]
If you or a loved one has been a victim of serious injury and/or death at the hands of police or in jail or prison, tell us about your case.