The men accused of beating a mentally ill inmate have demanded sanctions against the attorney who filed a civil rights lawsuit following the release of a video related to the case. The Knox County Law Department is trying to force mediation of the case.

Several filings were made in US District Court after the video of the beating of Louis Flack, Jr. was released to the media. Flack’s attorney is being accused of violating federal court rules regarding the interviews he granted to Knoxville TV news organizations. There are also accusations that the attorney put his interests ahead of Flack’s.

The filings also showed Knox County previously offered a settlement of an undisclosed amount the moment it was served with notice of the lawsuit this past November. That settlement offer was rejected.

The video revealed the beating of Flack, who at the time of the incident was in the throes of a psychotic episode. He refused to obey the guards when they attempted to handcuff him through a slot in his prison cell. After handcuffing attempts failed, a police deputy repeatedly punches Flack. A guard kneed him several times and he was punched in the ribs twice after he was handcuffed and then hogtied. The officer recording the incident blamed Flack for the beating and later in the video while Flack was being tended to by a nurse, yanked him by his hair.

No disciplinary action was taken against the officers and guards until the video was released to local news stations. A second video showing additional footage in greater detail was later released, as well.