A federal judge has thrown out a $40 million civil rights claim by Ferguson, Mo., rioters who maintain that police used excessive force against them during racial protests over the shooting death of Michael Brown in 2014.
U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey ruled in favor of Missouri law enforcement, reports WWMT.
The nine plaintiffs “have completely failed to present any credible evidence that any of the actions taken by these individuals were taken with malice or were committed in bad faith,” Autrey wrote in his ruling.
The plaintiffs claimed in the lawsuit that Ferguson police beat them, used tear gas, shot them with rubber bullets, and arrested them illegally.
Autrey dismissed those allegations, saying protesters had been given ample warning to vacate, but chose to ignore them. Autrey also gave the officers involved in the lawsuit immunity from it.
A lawyer for the protesters, Gregory Lattimer, expressed disappointment with the judge’s ruling. “The decision was unfair and not consistent with applicable law,” Lattimer told NBC News.
The protesters have already filed a notice that they intend to appeal the ruling in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“This is a battle we will keep fighting. We will end it in the right way and get justice for these people,” Lattimer said.
This report, by Amber Randall, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
