Soldier won’t get new trial to sue police over violent stop

The Associated Press

May 4, 2023, 4:49 PM

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A U.S. Army soldier won’t get a new trial for his lawsuit against two police officers after he was pepper- sprayed, struck and handcuffed during a traffic stop in rural Virginia, a federal judge has ruled.

Video of the incident in the small town of Windsor got millions of views after Caron Nazario filed his lawsuit in 2021. For many, the stop highlighted fears of mistreatment among Black drivers and raised questions about reasonable police conduct.

Nazario, who was never arrested, sought $1 million in damages in his initial lawsuit. But in January, a jury in Richmond mostly sided with two police officers and awarded the soldier a total of $3,685. ... Nazario almost immediately requested a new trial, claiming the jury’s verdict was against the clear weight of the evidence, among other grounds.

U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young disagreed. In a ruling issued Wednesday, Young wrote that Nazario “makes no showing that the jury’s findings were not within their discretion.”

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