A Black family was awarded $8.25 million in damages after they were pulled from their car back into a Bay Area Starbucks in 2019 by two white police officers who accused them of carjacking.
The three women, a mother, and her two daughters say they were chosen for their race, according to court documents.
Black Mother And Her Two Daughters, Jailed, Handcuffed After Falsely Accused Of Car Theft
Las Vegas native Aasylei Loggervale and her daughters Aaottae, then 17, and 19-year-old Aasylei Hardege-Loggervale were finally awarded a large sum thanks to California’s Bane Act, which allows that any monetary damages awarded are triple what the lawyers can afford. prove that a person’s civil rights have been violated.
Loggervale and her daughters were traveling in the area when Alameda County sheriff’s deputies detained and handcuffed them in connection with a series of car thefts, according to their federal lawsuit.
How FD up is our legal system
Aasylei Loggervale, and her 2 adult children sit in a ‘high crime area’
The police asked for their ID, they refused, so the police handcuffed them for 20 minutes, then let them go.
They sued Holland/Alameda County and won $8.25 million, they know the law~ 🖕🏻 pic.twitter.com/x9m4tIw1zr
— TruthInBytes (@HipIsEdo) March 10, 2023
Earlier this month, jurors found in favor of the family and set damages at $2.75 million per plaintiff.
“It’s vindication and vindication for the Loggervales that they’ve been wronged, and it means a lot,” their attorney, Craig Peters, said Thursday.
White Arresting Officers Handcuff Three While Searching Car, Purse and Cellphone
The officers, who are white, reportedly told them they were under investigation for “car thefts committed by unknown Black males” in recent months, the plaintiffs said.
Although Loggervale refused to show his driver’s license, he said he clearly told deputies “that they did nothing wrong and had no connection whatsoever to any vehicle theft,” according to their civil complaint.
Loggervale and her daughters were all handcuffed while officers searched the car, their purses and cellphones.
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All Three Released Without Charges or Citations, Jury Finds Cops Violated Their Civil Rights
They were eventually released from police custody without any citations or criminal charges, NBC News reports.
A federal jury sided with the plaintiffs and found that the officers as well as Alameda County violated their constitutional rights while violating the state’s civil protections against police harassment.
Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez told the outlet that community trust is “foundational to my mission to maintain a positive relationship with those we serve.”
“The community’s trust in my agency is foundational to my mission to maintain a positive relationship with those we serve,” Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez said in a statement Thursday.
Sanchez added: “the facts of this case are very important to me and our community members, however, I must reserve my comments until the case is fully adjudicated through the court system.”
Meanwhile, Alameda County has until the end of March to file an appeal, though Peters said Thursday that defense attorneys have not indicated whether they plan to do so.