Monday, May 23, 2016
In exchange for
the funds, the pair, Courtney Wilson and Taylor Guerrero, have agreed to
dismiss claims against the city and Officer Bobby Harrison.
"The
Department of the Corporation Counsel believes that the tentative
settlement is in the best interests of the city," Donna Leong, the
city's top attorney, said in a statement Friday.
The
gay couple, Courtney Wilson and Taylor Guerrero were visiting Hawaii
from Los Angeles last year when, according to the their lawsuit, they
were harassed and arrested because the officer didn't like their public
displays of affection in a Foodland store on Oahu's North Shore.
They
were walking and holding hands and at one point hugged and kissed, the
lawsuit said. Officer Bobby Harrison, who was shopping in uniform,
"observed their consensual romantic contact and, in a loud voice,
ordered plaintiffs to stop and 'take it somewhere else.''
The
women complied and continued shopping, the lawsuit said. When Harrison
again saw them being affectionate with each other, he threatened to have
them thrown out of the store.
While the women
were in the check-out line, Harrison grabbed Wilson by the wrist, and
she started to call 911, the women described last year. All three got
into a scuffle and Harrison arrested them. They were charged with felony
assault on an officer and spent three days in jail. Charges were
eventually dismissed.
"The internal
investigation was completed, and the allegations were not sustained,"
department spokeswoman Michelle Yu said in an email. Harrison retired at
the end of last year, she said.
The settlement dismisses Harrison from the lawsuit and isn't an admission of any wrongdoing, Winter said.
"I'm glad it's over, but at the same time we wanted the officer to suffer some sort of repercussion," Wilson said.
I'm happy with it," Guerrero said of the settlement. "I'm just glad it's over with."
After paying their attorneys, Wilson and Guerrero plan to split what's left from the settlement amount.
Source: Telegraph UK
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