Officials from the city of Springfield are hoping mediation will resolve the lawsuits filed by four men stemming from a 2015 alleged police brutality case.  According to the plaintiffs, off-duty Springfield police offers used violence against the four men.

The suit was filed by JozelleLigon, Jackie Ligon, and Michael Cintron against the city in April 2018.  The suit accused the officers and the department as a whole of violating their civil rights.  A separate suit was filed by the fourth alleged victim, Herman Paul Cumby.

At the moment, everyone seems amenable to attempting mediation and they wish to mediate both suits simultaneously.  According to Mr. Cumby’s attorney, “her client welcomes the chance to negotiate a deal.  Cumby's suit initially sought $10 million in damages, citing both alleged civil rights abuses and severe injuries that have prevented him from returning to work.  We are pleased to have an opportunity to sit down with the city and work towards a resolution of this very difficult matter”.

The second suit filed by the group of three men is more complicated and includes allegations against the District Attorney’s Office, as well as the individual officers and the police force.  The DA’s office is seeking dismissal and has not agreed to mediation, which was initiated by the city.

According to the lawsuits, the Ligons and Cintron were having a drink at Nathan Bill’s when several off-duty officers instigated an argument.  One of the Ligon’s was accused of whistling at the girlfriend of one of the officers, but he claims he was whistling to get the bartender’s attention.  The argument began as a verbal disagreement but escalated to physical violence.