The wrongful death lawsuit was filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Las Vegas by the family of Dr. Ryan Rich, a single father who was a licensed physician and emergency room resident. The family seeks compensatory and punitive damages against Taser International, saying that the company fraudulently promoted Taser guns as nonlethal weapons.

According to the complaint, Dr. Rich suffered a seizure while on his way to work in January 2007. As a result of his inability to control the pick-up truck he was driving, he was involved in several minor accidents that left him dazed, confused and disoriented when his vehicle came to a stop.

The erratic driving was observed by a Nevada Highway Patrol officer, Loren Lazoff, who approached the vehicle and broke the passenger-side window and turned off the engine. The family alleges that while Dr. Rich was initially not combative, violent or posing any threat to the officer, he pulled away while being handcuffed and began running in the direction of traffic lanes. The officer grabbed the back of Dr. Rich’s shirt and discharged his Taser Model X26 ECD from about 3 to four feet into the chest, delivering 50,000 volts of electricity designed to incapacitate humans.

After discharing the initial 5-second cycle to the chest, Officer Lazoff then subjected Dr. Rich to two more 5-second cycles to the chest when Dr. Rich continued to try to remove the probes. After the third cycle, Dr. Rich reportedly began to move his legs and the officer applied two more 5-second cycles to his right thigh in drive stun mode, for a total of five cycles.

The Taser wrongful death lawsuit indicates that Dr. Rich subsequently turned blue and was transported by ambulance to Spring Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The family claims that Rich died of a heart attack as a direct result of the use of the Taser.

The family alleges that Taser International misrepresented the safety of their stun guns, failed to disclose and failed to warn Nevada Highway Patrol and their officers about the risks, including the risk of ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest when a Taser is applied to the chest and that multiple cycles on a single person increase the risk of injury or death. The complaint also alleges that Taser indicated their weapon was an effective, non-lethal control device, when it is actually potentially lethal.

Scottsdale-based Taser International has vigorously defended the safety of the weapons in the media and in other cases, obtaining dismissals of most Taser lawsuits that have been filed against them. This fall, however, the company issued a memo to police agencies throughout the United States warning about the potential Taser heart risks, recommending that officers avoid chest shots.

The Taser gun is designed to incapacitate neuromuscular function by delivering a shock that uses Electro-Muscular Disruption technology. Many law enforcement agencies have deployed the weapons to allow police to incapacitate someone who poses a threat, but there have also been a number of reports of overuse and abuse of the weapons, which could have fatal consequences.

Taser has said it issued the warning not because it believes that the weapons are dangerous, but as a means of legal risk management for law enforcement agencies using their weapons. However, critics have characterized the recommendations as a passive admission that Taser stun guns can cause heart attacks. Taser has disagreed with this interpretation of their recommendations.

The new recommendations, included in a revised training manual, note that the possibility of someone having a cardiac arrest after recently being shot with a stun gun could place Taser and police in the difficult role of having to determine whether the stun gun was a contributing factor. To avoid that, the company recommends that law enforcement agencies train their officers to fire the gun below the chest.

In 2008, Amnesty International released a report on Taser police use, calling for departments throughout the United States to stop using Taser guns or to strictly limit their use to life-threatening situations. The human rights group linked 334 deaths to the use of Taser guns between 2001 and August 2008. Amnesty noted that 90% of the Taser deaths examined involved people who were unarmed and did not appear to present a serious threat to the officers. A large number of the fatalities involved misuse of the weapons, including multiple Taser shocks or exposing suspects to prolonged shocks.

The lawsuit, filed last month in Yellowstone County District Court, alleges that city police officers and county deputies violated their own pursuit policies while chasing a drunken teenager in April 2008. The police chase ended with the death of Lillian Stahl, a nurse who was struck and killed by the drunk driver on her way to work. Stahl’s brother, Arnie Stahl, filed the wrongful death lawsuit, naming the Billings Police Department and the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office as defendants.

The complaint alleges that officers violated policies that were established to protect the public from potentially deadly accidents. According to a report by the Billings Gazette, the pursuit policies of both county and city departments state that police should not chase subjects over minor misdemeanors, police should not chase subjects while driving unmarked cars, and that there should be no more than two patrol cars involved in any chase.

Stahl’s brother claims that the chase was started when a police officer in an unmarked car spotted a teenager driving erratically. Although the officer was able to obtain a license plate number and partial identification, a police chase ensued involving seven cars from the city and county police departments.

Following the fatal crash, the police departments allegedly attempted to cover up the chase, realizing that pursuit policies had been violated. However, recorded police radio conversation, testimony and other information allegedly contradict police accounts of the events leading to Stahl’s death.

Since the mid-1990s, police departments nationwide have struggled with policies on when police should pursue fleeing suspects, due to the potential risk to the public. According to a recent report by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), there is an extremely wide variety of police chase policies in place nationwide to avoid automobile accidents, but many of those policies include stipulations that police officers should not pursue drivers for misdemeanor offenses, or should avoid any pursuits unless it’s clear that lives are at risk if officers do not pursue.

The IACP began recommending such policies after it released a report in 1998 on police pursuit crashes, finding that most crashes during such pursuits occurred in the first two minutes of the crash, and that many accidents and fatalities were at the hands of minor offenders who did not need to be aggressively pursued.

Although Taser has maintained that their weapons are safe and do not deliver life-threatening force, according to a recent memo issued to police agencies throughout the United States, they now suggest that there is a risk of heart attacks or other heart problems that could be caused by the stun guns.

Taser has said it issued the warning not because it believes that the weapons are dangerous, but as a means of legal risk management for law enforcement agencies using their weapons. However, critics have characterized the recommendations as a passive admission that Taser stun guns can cause heart attacks. Taser has disagreed with this interpretation of their recommendations.

The new recommendations, included in a revised training manual, note that the possibility of someone having a cardiac arrest after recently being shot with a stun gun could place Taser and police in the difficult role of having to determine whether the stun gun was a contributing factor. To avoid that, the company recommends that law enforcement agencies train their officers to fire the gun below the chest.

This has left many police agencies confused over how to deal with these recommendations, as most officers are trained to shoot for the central chest area, known as “center mass”, and the Taser can be difficult to aim with precision. In a report by the St. Petersburg Times, Tampa police expressed concern about the variability in where Taser needles strike a target, as compared to a bullet, because the needles spread out when fired.

Last year, Amnesty International called for police departments throughout the United States to stop using Taser guns or strictly limit their use to life-threatening situations as a result of the growing number of Taser deaths. According to a report released last December by the human rights group, 334 deaths have been linked to use of Taser guns between 2001 and August 2008.

Amnesty noted that 90% of the Taser-related deaths they examined involved people who were unarmed and did not appear to present a serious threat to the officers. A large number of the fatalities involved misuse of the weapons, including multiple Taser shocks or exposing suspects to prolonged shocks.

The Ford Crown Victoria lawsuit was filed on October 6 in Cuyahoga County Court in Ohio by the family of George Brentar, who died two years ago. While chasing a speeding car, Brentar lost control of his Crown Victoria police car, which crashed into a pole and exploded.

Ford is faulted for not installing an Electronic Stability Control system in the vehicles and for placing the gas tank in the vehicle’s rear crush zone, according to the product liability lawsuit.

The Ford Crown Victoria is used by police agencies throughout the United States, but was listed as the sixth poorest performing car of the year by Forbes magazine in 2007.

In several states, Crown Victoria car fires have been linked to the deaths of police officers. In an accident similar to Brentar’s, Hollywood police officer Alex Del Rio died in November 2008 when the gas tank exploded in a Crown Victoria police cruiser after he crashed into a tree, causing the car to burst into flames while he was trapped inside.

On December 17, 2006, Fort Worth police officer Dwayne Freeto died when another driver rear ended a Crown Victoria police interceptor, causing it to burst into flames. His family has filed a similar car fire lawsuit against Ford, also alleging the vehicle is defectively designed.

And in November 2007, the Ohio State Troopers Association forced the state to agree to install fire suppression systems in all the Crown Victorias driven by state troopers after officers Joshua P. Risner and Dale R. Holcomb were killed in a Crown Victoria car fire in 2006.

The lawsuit by Brentar’s family says his death, and the deaths of other officers, could have been prevented by the electronic stability control system, and by better design of the gas tank.

Photo of similar Ford Police Interceptor courtesy of Alberto Rodriguez.

The October 1 decision stems from a 2002 case where two spectators at a Cleveland Indian’s game were wrongfully arrested and jailed for four days, according to a report by the Dayton Daily News. A lawsuit against the city of Cleveland for malicious prosecution and other charges resulted in a jury award to each man of $1 million, including $600,000 in punitive damages and $400,000 in compensatory damages.

Following the award, the trial judge threw out the punitive damages, but maintained the compensatory damages at $400,000 for each plaintiff, despite a motion by the city to cap the non-economic damages at $250,000. The decision was upheld at the intermediate appellate court, which found the Ohio local government damage cap unconstitutional. However, the Ohio Supreme Court overturned the ruling.

In a 5-2 decision, the Court found that the sovereign immunity law, which was enacted as part of tort reform in the state, is “rationally related to the purpose of preserving the financial integrity of political subdivisions” and does not violate the state constitution.

Michael Patrick Jacobs Jr., 24, died after being jolted with a Taser by police when they responded to a call that he was causing a disturbance outside his family’s home on April 18. The first Taser shot was used to deliver 50,000 volts of electricity for 49 seconds, which is substantially longer than the standard five seconds. After the extended shock, Jacobs was shocked a second time for five more seconds.

According to the Star-Telegram, Jacobs is at least the fourth person to die after being struck with a Taser by Fort Worth police since 2001. However, it is the first time a medical examiner has ruled the death a homicide, meaning that another person was involved in the death.

Jacob’s family filed a Taser wrongful death lawsuit against the city and Corporal Stephanie Phillips, after the medical examiner released their independent report on August 27, 2009.

The medical examiner, Nizam Peerwani, ruled that the cause of Jacob’s death was “sudden death during neuromuscular incapacitation due to application of a conducted energy device.” There were no signs of drugs or abnormal conditions which could have contributed to his death, according to Peerwani’s report.

Taser guns are designed to incapacitate neuromuscular functions by delivering an electrical shock. Many law enforcement agencies use the weapons as an alternative to lethal force in situations where suspects pose a threat. Taser International, which manufactures the controversial stun guns, has maintained that the weapons are safe and non-lethal devices.

Last year, Amnesty International released a report on Taser police use, calling for departments throughout the United States to stop using Taser guns or to strictly limit their use to life-threatening situations. The human rights group linked 334 deaths to the use of Taser guns between 2001 and August 2008. Amnesty noted that 90% of the Taser deaths examined involved people who were unarmed and did not appear to present a serious threat to the officers. A large number of the fatalities involved misuse of the weapons, including multiple Taser shocks or exposing suspects to prolonged shocks.

Following police custody deaths after Taser use, medical examiners often list other cases of death, including drug use, complications from pre-existing medical conditions and a controversial diagnosis known as excited delirium, which is used to describe deaths of people in police custody after they were subdued in a visibly agitated state.

Many critics say excited delirium doesn’t exist and is being promoted as an alternative to naming the use of a Taser weapon as the cause of death. It has been banned from use as a cause of death by some police organizations, such as the London police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who suggest the term is being used as an excuse for police brutality. The National Association of Medical Examiners accepts the term, but the American Medical Association does not recognize the term, and it is listed in the Canadian Medical Association Journal as a “pop culture phenomenon.”

The Maryland police shooting lawsuit stems from an occurrence at an apartment complex where Corporal Steven Jackson was working off-duty as a security guard. On August 16, 2008, Cpl. Jackson shot and killed Manuel de Jesus Espina in front of his 26 year-old son, according to the complaint filed in the Circuit Court of Prince George’s County in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

The Washington Post reports that criminal charges against Cpl. Jackson are being considered by a grand jury given evidence by Prince George’s County prosecutors.

The family claims that Jackson chased Espina and dragged him into an apartment after spotting him drinking a beer outside at the complex. The lawsuit alleges that Jackson proceeded to beat Espina with fists and a police baton, eventually shooting Espina with a single bullet as his son begged on his knees for Jackson not to kill his father.

In the aftermath of the incident, Prince George’s County police released multiple versions of the story. In the first version, police said Espina had reached for Jackson’s gun. Later, another version said that the Espina attempted to pull Jackson into the apartment. In yet a third version of the story, the department indicated that Jackson feared for his life when Espina reached for his baton.

Jackson is also under investigation for assaulting a motorist and then claiming the motorist attacked him first, the Washington Post reports. Police video, however, showed Jackson attacking the motorist but did not show the motorist attacking Jackson.

Taser International, known primarily for its stun guns that deliver an electric shock to incapacitate suspects, announced last month that they have begun testing a new video recording system that could be worn on a headband by police. The system, called Axon, would work like those inside of police cars and record encounters between police officers and suspects. Taser estimates that the system will be available for sale by early 2010.

The company announced the new Axon system at the end of July, on the same day they rolled out their newest model Taser gun, the X3, which can shock three people without being reloaded. Older Taser weapons must be reloaded after each use.

The recording system would link into Taser’s new Evidence.com system, which stores crime scene video for police departments. The video system would provide clear and accurate evidence of disputed incidents, which may be of assistance in police misconduct lawsuits and potential product liability lawsuits against Taser involving the use of their weapons.

Taser International says that it believes the system will help it reduce its legal fees by scaring away potential litigants who make false accusations against the company, claiming that Taser weapons are dangerous. A number of Taser lawsuits have been filed against the company and different police departments across the United States.

Taser International has been largely successful in having themselves dismissed from such claims. This month, Taser announced that they have been dismissed as a defendant in at least three wrongful death police lawsuits, including cases pending in California, Florida and Nevada.

The family of Jarrel Gray, who died in November 2007 after being jolted twice with a Taser, alleges that the use of the stun gun constituted police brutality, since Gray was complying with deputy orders. This contradicts statements provided by Corporal Rudy Torres, the deputy named in the lawsuit, who says Gray was resisting arrest.

Tasers are weapons designed to deliver non-lethal shocks that incapacitate an individual who may pose a threat. However, Amnesty International has identified more than 334 deaths linked to the use of Tasers by police. A report released last year indicates that many of the deaths examined by Amnesty International were associated with repeated use of the weapons or prolonged shocks that were longer than the standard five seconds.

The Maryland police brutality lawsuit was filed in May 2008, and charges the defendants with excessive use of force, deprivation of civil rights, negligent training and infliction of emotional distress.

On July 17, U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. scheduled a pretrial conference for September, when court dates for the trial will be set. Quarles let all of the charges go forward except the claim of emotional distress, saying there was not enough evidence that there was an intentional infliction of emotional distress in the case.

The incident sprung from a fight investigation in the county on November 18, 2007. The lawsuit claims that Gray was complying with police orders when Torres first struck him with the Taser. Torres then allegedly hit Gray with the stun gun a second time while his hands were at his sides.

Torres has stated that Gray was verbally hostile during the encounter, turned towards the deputy and reached his hand into his pants. Torres has stated that Gray was the only person who refused to show his hands when the officer arrived on scene. Torres’ account is disputed by Jerame Duvall, a witness to the incident. Gray died two hours after being hit with the Taser shocks.

A previous order from Judge Quarles dismissed all defendants from the Taser wrongful death lawsuit except the deputy who actually fired the stun gun. However, after allowing the family to file an amended complaint, Judge Quarles ruled in December that civil rights claims against the County and sheriff’s department can also continue.

According to the Frederick News Post, the first trial will be solely against Torres. If the case is successful, a subsequent trial will be scheduled against the county and sheriff’s department.

The Taser lawsuit settlement resolves a complaint filed against the city of Moberly over the death of Stanley Harlan, who was struck with a Taser three times for resisting attempts to handcuff him following a stop for suspected drunk driving. Harlan lost consciousness after being jolted with the stun gun and died a short time later.

Insurance coverage for the city will pay $2.4 million to Harlan’s family, including his infant son, as a result of the alleged police brutality and excessive use of force. City officials also agreed to enforce a moratorium on Taser use by the Moberly Police Department. In addition, Moberly police will be trained to recognize and respond to medical distress situations, and the city will provide at least one on-duty patrol unit with an automatic external defibrillator.

Taser guns are designed to incapacitate neuromuscular functions by delivering an electrical shock. Many law enforcement agencies use the weapons as an alternative to lethal force in situations where suspects pose a threat.

The city did not admit fault as part of the settlement, and no criminal charges have been filed against police officers. An investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Last year, Amnesty International called for a police departments throughout the United States to stop using Taser guns or strictly limit their use to life-threatening situations. A report released last December by the human rights group linked 334 deaths to the use of Taser guns between 2001 and August 2008. Amnesty noted that 90% of the Taser deaths examined involved people who were unarmed and did not appear to present a serious threat to the officers. A large number of the fatalities involved misuse of the weapons, including multiple Taser shocks or exposing suspects to prolonged shocks.

Taser International, which manufactures the controversial stun guns, has maintained that the weapons are safe and non-lethal devices. They were not a party to the lawsuit or the settlement.