At a Glance
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- Case Type
- Civil Lawsuit Filed
- Parties
- Erica Umana, Erika Erazo Sanchez, Dayri Amaya Benitez, and Brandon Cuevas v. Prince George's County Police Department et al.
- Jurisdiction
- Prince George's County, Maryland
- Date
- 2023-11-27
- Status
- Filed
- Amount
- $16M
Four roommates filed a federal lawsuit on Nov. 27 against the Prince George's County Police Department and three of its officers, seeking at least $16 million in damages for an incident that left their pet dog paralyzed and ultimately dead. According to The Washington Post, the suit alleges officers entered the plaintiffs' apartment without a warrant, detained the residents at gunpoint without justification, and shot the dog without cause [1]. The plaintiffs, Erica Umana, Erika Erazo Sanchez, Dayri Amaya Benitez, and Brandon Cuevas, are represented by attorneys William "Billy" Murphy Jr. and Malcolm Ruff [2].
The lawsuit stems from a June 2, 2021, encounter that began when Prince George's County police officers responded to a report of a dog bite at an apartment complex where the four plaintiffs lived [2]. Officers knocked on the apartment door and, when no one answered, used a key obtained from an apartment complex employee to enter [2]. The dog, a boxer mix named Hennessey, did not attack the three officers who entered before two of them shot the animal with their firearms and a third fired a stun gun at it, according to the federal lawsuit [2]. The lawsuit claims the officers panicked and fired after the dog followed one of the plaintiffs out of a bedroom and approached its primary owner, Erica Umana [2].
After the shooting, the officers handcuffed the roommates and held them in police vehicles for roughly one hour before releasing them [2]. The county subsequently offered to compensate Umana for veterinary bills on the condition that she agree not to speak publicly about the shooting, an offer she rejected, according to the lawsuit [2]. The suit states that all three officers were placed on paid administrative leave during the department's investigation, and that a department investigator accused two of the officers of "conduct unbecoming an officer" for entering the apartment without a warrant, while the third was cleared of wrongdoing [2].
The suit accuses the officers of using excessive force, falsely arresting the plaintiffs, and violating their constitutional rights against unreasonable searches and seizures [2]. The complaint also claims there has been a decades-long pattern of police misconduct in Prince George's County, citing a series of incidents in which county officers have been accused of using excessive force, including the January 2020 killing of William Green, an unarmed Black man [2]. The county reached a $20 million settlement with Green's family, who was represented by Murphy's law firm [3].
Murphy, a lawyer for the roommates, previously represented the family of Freddie Gray, whose death in police custody in 2015 prompted widespread protests in Baltimore [2]. Co-counsel Malcolm Ruff stated that Prince George's County officers "have no fear of reprimand," pointing to what he described as the county's longstanding failure to discipline misconduct [2][3]. Police and county officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit's allegations [2].
References
[1] The Washington Post. (2023, November 27). Owners of dog shot by officers sue Prince George's police. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/11/27/prince-georges-police-dog-lawsuit/
[2] Insurance Journal. (2023, November 30). Maryland County Sued for $16 Million Over Death of Pet Dog Shot by Police. https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2023/11/30/749992.htm
[3] Wisconsin Law Journal. (2023, November 28). County sued over death of pet dog shot by police. https://wislawjournal.com/2023/11/28/county-sued-over-death-of-pet-dog-shot-by-police/