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.

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.

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.”

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.

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Inappropriate use of force defines any situation where police use force out of proportion or inappropriate to the situation at hand and the threat posed by another person. It can also occur when the police officer is negligent in the use of force. Some examples include brutality and excessive force; injuring or killing a person through the unjustified use of a firearm; and arresting and imprisoning someone without reasonable suspicion or probably cause.

A growing area of concern for police brutality lawyers is the overuse and misuse of Taser stun guns. While Tasers are designed as a non-lethal alternative to firearms, hundreds of deaths throughout the United States have occurred following police Taser use. Amnesty International has called for law enforcement agencies to stop using the weapons or limit their use to life-threatening situation.

The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Rita Cummings, the mother of Roger Holyfield, who died on October 29, 2006. The case was brought against police officers and dispatchers with the Jerseyville Police Department and the City of Jerseyville in Illinois.

The complaint alleged that officers used unreasonable and excessive force when they placed Holyfield under arrest without sufficient cause. Although he was unarmed, handcuffed and laying facedown on the ground, the officers reportedly shot Holyfield with a Taser several times.

After Holyfield began vomiting, emergency medical responders were called and he died on the way to a local hospital.

Although the medical examiner indicated that Holyfield’s death was from natural causes as a result of “excited delirium,” the family alleged that the police brutality and excessive Taser use caused the death.

“Excited delirium,” which is also sometimes referred to as “agitated delirium,” is a controversial designation that is regularly cited as a cause of death for individuals apprehended by police who are acting in an irrational and hyperactive manner and subsequently die in custody. It only appears as a cause of death where police are involved in restraining an individual, and it is commonly cited following the use of Tasers by police.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Cummings reached an agreement to settle the Illinois wrongful death lawsuit but the terms of the resolution were not disclosed.

Police use of Tasers has generated substantial controversy, especially in recent months following several other deaths involving teens struck by the stun guns that are designed to deliver non-lethal electro-muscular shocks to temporarily disable a person.

As a result of at least 350 deaths linked to Taser use, Amnesty International has called for the stun guns to only be used in life threatening situations or not be used at all. A report released by Amnesty in December 2008 indicated that approximately 90% of the deaths they examined involving police use of a Taser were situations where the suspect was unarmed and did not appear to present a serious threat.

Taser stun guns deliver electro-muscular shocks that affect neuromuscular function and thereby temporarily disable individuals.

Although they are designed to provide non-lethal force, Amnesty International has reported that over 350 Taser-related deaths have occurred in the United States since 2001, leading to calls for the stun guns to only be used in life-threatening situations.

Robert Mitchell, who had a learning disability, died after he was struck with a Taser by police in Warren, Michigan. The teen fled police after a traffic stop for an expired license plate and ran into an abandoned building to hide, where police struck him with the stun gun while apprehending him.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the boy’s family intends to file a police brutality lawsuit alleging that the Taser use was unnecessary and involved excessive force for the teen with a small build.

Last month, another Michigan teen died after being struck by a Taser gun in Bay City. Brett Elder, who was 15 years old at the time of his death, was struck after he started to fight with officers while they were attempting to intervene in a dispute between the teen and another person.

According to witnesses, Elder was “flopping around” on the ground after being struck by the Taser and an emergency medical crew was called. Upon his arrival at the hospital, the 15 year old was pronounced dead.

Following the death of Elder, Amnesty International claimed that he was the second minor to die after Taser use this year, making Robert Mitchell potentially the third teen Taser death.

In December 2008, Amnesty released a report that found 90% of all Taser gun deaths examined involved people who were unarmed and did not appear to present a serious threat to officers. In addition, a number of deaths have been associated with inappropriate use of the weapons, such as repeated firings, shocks that last longer than five seconds or delivering a charge to the neck or head.

In response to the tragedy, Jim Flouts, the Mayor of Warren questioned whether Taser guns should be used by police in the city, and indicated that police policy in the city will be reviewed.

Although the exact cause of the boy’s death has not been confirmed, Brett Elder died on Sunday shortly after Bay City police fired their Taser gun to subdue him during a confrontation. Police officers were responding to a dispute between the teenager and another person, when Elder tried to fight with them, prompting the use of the Taser to deliver an incapacitating electrical jolt.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Elder’s aunt reported that he was “flopping around” after being struck by the Taser, and an emergency medical crew was called. Upon his arrival at the hospital, the 15 year old was pronounced dead.

Tasers are designed to deliver non-lethal force to incapacitate individuals who may pose serious threats by using a special Electro-Muscular Disruption technology. However, a number of deaths have been linked to the use of Tasers, and consumer groups have maintained that the weapons are widely misused and overused.

Amnesty International has pointed to the recent Taser death of Brett Elder as further support for their request that police restrict use of the stun guns to life-threatening situations. The group claims that Elder is the second minor to die after Taser use this year, and that 351 Taser deaths have occurred in the United States since 2001.

In December 2008, Amnesty released a report highlighting the lethal effects of Taser guns. The report found that 90% of all Taser gun deaths they examined involved people who were unarmed and did not appear to present a serious threat. In addition, many of the deaths were associated with misuse of the weapons, including repeated firings or shocks that lasted longer than the standard five seconds.