FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — It could be years and maybe never before a 22-year-old black man sees any of the $23 million a federal jury awarded him for being shot and paralyzed by a Florida sheriff's deputy.
The six-woman, two-man jury ruled Wednesday after 3½ hours of deliberation that Palm Beach County Sheriff's Sgt. Adams Lin violated Dontrell Stephens' civil rights when he shot him in September 2013. Stephens was unarmed.
Under Florida law, the Legislature has to approve any lawsuit payment that exceeds $200,000 against a government agency. In the past, legislators have been reluctant to do that, even in non-controversial cases.
An appeal is expected and Lin's attorneys could ask a judge to reduce the damages. Lin is Asian-American.
