Excessive-force case involving teenage girl costs Tacoma another six-figure payout

The city of Tacoma's total payout is now $1 million in the lawsuit filed by a teenage girl who was thrown to the ground by an off-duty Tacoma police officer working security at the Tacoma Mall.

The City Council on Tuesday approved paying that amount, which includes $550,000 for the jury verdict and a recently negotiated amount of $450,000 for attorney's fees and costs, to settle the matter.

Monique Tillman and her brother, Eric Branch, sued Officer Jared Williams and the city of Tacoma in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, alleging that Williams’ conduct while attempting to detain the two on May 24, 2014, in the mall parking lot was excessive. A jury found their claims to be true and awarded them $550,000.

Williams was moonlighting as a private security guard at the time. He was in uniform, driving his Tacoma police cruiser and used his stun gun on Tillman after throwing her to the ground.

The city's attorneys negotiated with the plaintiff's attorneys and came up with $450,000 to settle the matter of costs. A city spokeswoman said the city won't be appealing the verdict. When the verdict was first announced, the city said its attorneys were reviewing the case before deciding whether to pursue an appeal.

The city's settlement does not involve the mall (Simon Property Group) or the security company (Universal Protection Services), who were also named as defendants.

Williams is still employed with the Tacoma Police Department.

This story was originally published May 2, 2018 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Excessive-force case involving teenage girl costs Tacoma another six-figure payout."