Baker Sterchi Secures Complete Defense Win in $45 Million Civil Rights and Malicious Prosecution Case
Baker Sterchi obtained a complete defense win for the City of Redmond, Washington, in a high-exposure civil rights and malicious prosecution case in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The plaintiff filed suit after being acquitted in a retrial on a murder charge, asserting federal civil rights claims under Section 1983 and a state-law malicious prosecution claim against the City of Redmond, King County, and individual officials. The defense maintained that probable cause supported the charge based on DNA evidence linking the plaintiff to the crime scene.
After the district court denied summary judgment on the federal claims, the defense appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The plaintiff subsequently dismissed the individual civil rights claims with prejudice. During the ensuing 13-day trial, Baker Sterchi defended the City through a procedurally complex series of federal and state-law claims, obtaining dismissal of the remaining federal municipal liability claims under Rule 50(a) and eliminating potential attorney fee exposure.
The state-law malicious prosecution claim proceeded to the jury. Although the plaintiff requested $45 million in damages, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of both defendants.
trending ATTORNEYS on baker sterchi
