On Jan. 20, 2017, an individual who participated in a protest in Washington D.C., on President Trump's Inauguration Day, filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The plaintiff sued John Doe D.C. Metropolitan Police Officers, John Doe U.S. Park Police Officers, and the Interim Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, all in their individual capacities. Represented by private counsel, plaintiff sued under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Bivens for alleged violations of Fourth Amendment protections from false arrest and excessive force. The plaintiff alleged that the defendants used a "kettle" tactic to confine him and other demonstrators to a small area, and then deployed chemical irritants and flash-bang grenades against the members of the putative plaintiff class, as well as striking them with batons. The plaintiff alleged that the defendants then made numerous arrests without probable cause. The plaintiff sued on his own behalf and on behalf of a putative class, estimated to encompass at least thirty people, described as individuals who were subjected to the same police action as the plaintiff.

The plaintiff asked the court for declaratory, injunctive, and monetary relief. Specifically, the plaintiff asked the court to declare defendants' conduct unlawful, order the expungement of class-members' arrest records, and for compensatory and punitive damages.

On April 18, 2017, the plaintiff filed a motion to stay the case during the resolution of his criminal felony charges related to the incident in the District of Columbia Superior Court. On April 24, 2017, Senior Judge Richard J. Leon granted the plaintiff's motion.

On June 12, 2017, the plaintiff provided notice of voluntary dismissal of the case without prejudice.

As of Mar. 20, 2018, the case appears to be closed.

Micah Telegen - 02/10/2017
Sean Mulloy - 11/06/2017
Elizabeth Greiter - 03/20/2018


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