When unarmed Dontrell Stephens was shot by Florida police for riding his bicycle back in 2013, it took a couple of years before dash cam footage was leaked to the public, revealing how much of a sham Officer Adam Lin’s story was. The good news for Stephens was that he survived being shot repeatedly in the back, but unfortunately he was left paralyzed from the waist down. By the way, Stephens was cleared of any wrongdoing. By the way #2, Officer Adam Lin was promoted to sergeant a couple of months after the shooting. A couple of months ago, Mr. Stephens won a very large $23.1 million settlement.
Stephens, now 22, has a long road ahead to collect any money. The jury award is more than the state cap of $200,000, so the Florida Legislature must approve the final dollar amount. That process can take years. Additionally, attorneys for the Sheriff's Office indicated before the verdict that they would appeal.
Lin and both attorneys for the Sheriff's Office declined to comment after the verdict in federal court in Fort Lauderdale. But late Wednesday night, the agency released a statement that called the verdict "both shocking and disappointing." It also confirmed it planned to appeal.
If you don’t remember anything but this, Stephens did nothing to justify being shot at all. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office attorneys are now arguing that because Stephens’ attorney said that Stephens’ life mattered, and this link to the Black Lives Matter movement should disqualify the ginormous settlement. Yes. This is what they are arguing. Some kind of crazy insane reverse racism evilness.
Attorney Summer Barranco told the magistrate that Stephens' lawyer, Jack Scarola, had referenced other shootings nationwide involving race when he pointed out during February's closing arguments that "Stephens' life mattered," echoing the "Black Lives Matter" protesters. She also cited the testimony of Stephens' cousin, who said after the shooting, "I couldn't believe it had happened to us."
"It was subtle," Barranco said. "I'm not saying they were screaming, yelling, pounding their fists on the table." She said race was "the elephant in the room" and it had an impact on the $16 million portion that the jury awarded Stephens for pain and suffering. She said the amount violated federal and state laws that bar non-economic awards that "shock the conscious." Most of the other $7 million was for Stephens' past and future medical costs.
Interestingly enough, Palm Beach attorneys forgot to mention that Stephens’ lawyer also said that Officer Lin’s life mattered, more specifically if he was acting in true self-defense. Which he was not. Which is why he’s an attempted murderer and not some kind of hero.
Stephens is paralyzed from the waist down and lives in a small apartment with his brothers, who are his caretakers. Under Florida law, he won't receive more than $200,000 unless the Legislature approves.