Brookfield pays woman who brought gun to church $7,500

[oldsmoboat]

ha ha /nelson

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/112841934.html

The woman who was arrested at gunpoint after she wore her gun to a church in Brookfield, and a gun rights group, have settled a lawsuit against the city and the officers who arrested her for $7,500.

Very interesting article, but ...
Please do not post whole articles - see http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=363956
// Librarian

[383green]

With regards to Gunta, I'll take "people unclear on the concept" for $7500, please, Alex.

[Munk]

Gunta, the city's lawyer, said if the lawsuit is really about the principle involved, the plaintiffs should consider donating the money back to Brookfield for gun education.

... Only if that donation is sent to a pro-gun education program. Most "Gun education" is just propagand and lies from the antis. Glad she won out and came out of it ok. Go wisconsin.

[Super Spy]

Nice....that'll teach 'em! a few thousand more cases like this and a SCOTUS case and maybe people will start to realize the 2nd amendment means what it says.

[press1280]

This was completely avoidable by the PD. I may have given them some slack if they had just stumbled upon someone but the person called and told them they had it throughout the church service and nothing happened. They should have told the caller that yes, its legal, give us a call if that person starts making threats or actually shooting.
I'm wondering if the dispatch people have to share some of the blame here?

[Patrick-2]

Brookfield has some upper-middle class residents and better tax rolls than some neighbors (I know the area somewhat), but not enough to be doling out thousands for every OC call. Especially now that: everyone knows OC is legal; everyone knows Brookfield will pay at least $7500 for harassing you when you do it.

Of course, once a pattern emerges with intent to harass (sounds like they admitted that in the interview)...damages get larger.

I see lawyer's drooling somewhere in central Wisconsin. This is only a short drive from Milwaukee (40 minutes). Tough economy and easy money? Nah, nothing can go wrong for Brookfield here.

[The Shadow]

ha ha /nelson

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/112841934.html

The woman who was arrested at gunpoint after she wore her gun to a church in Brookfield, and a gun rights group, have settled a lawsuit against the city and the officers who arrested her for $7,500.

Good for her.

An attorney for the city said police will still always respond in force to calls of a person with a gun, and if turns out to be an open carry situation, that's just the cost of doing business.

If they are willing to put out 7500.00 everytime they violate someones rights, then perhaps the citizens of Wisconsin should up the ante.

"These are kind of 'gotcha' cases," said the attorney, Greg Gunta. "The courts are being used for a political stage."

No Mr. Gunta, these kind of cases are meant to punish those who have no regard for a persons Constitutional rights.

Krysta Sutterfield sued the city and officers in October. She was arrested in July after attending services at the Unitarian Universalist Church while wearing her holstered handgun. There was no disturbance, but after the service someone called police to inquire and they responded, stopped Sutterfield as she was driving away and arrested her.

What arrogance.

Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel later decided not to file charges.

Well that's big of him. He didn't file charges because she wasn't guilty of any crime.

Wisconsin Carry, Inc., a gun rights advocacy group to which Sutterfield belongs, joined her as a plaintiff in the federal lawsuit. Group president Nik Clark announced the judgment in an e-mail Monday night.

The group "will continue to use legal recourse to deter unlawful treatment of law-abiding Wisconsin residents who currently exercise their right to open carry, and soon will exercise their right to concealed carry in Wisconsin," the announcement read.

Other members and Wisconsin Carry have pending federal cases over police response to members wearing guns at a Madison Culver's in September and challenging the state ban on firearms within 1,000 feet of school zones.

Brookfield's offer of judgment was "not an admission of liability on behalf of these defendants, and should not be construed as such," according to the offer. The judgment was entered Dec. 30.

It never is, but just the same, they knew they had no leg to stand on.

Gunta, the city's lawyer, said if the lawsuit is really about the principle involved, the plaintiffs should consider donating the money back to Brookfield for gun education.

I have a better idea Mr Gunta, educate your police department or risk losing more money in punitive damages.

[stix213]

Between Wolanyk and now Sutterfield, open carry is turning into quite a money maker. Maybe I should quit my job and just OC all day until my money train pulls up and unjustly arrests me

[cineski]

WI has some incredibly corrupt police. There's been all kinds of trouble with open carriers vs. police in this state.

[Fjold]

I wish that the police were forced to admit they were wrong as part of the settlement.

I would have held out for just lawyers fees and an admission of guilt by the PD and the City.

[CCWFacts]

That's cool! I love all these pay-outs. I also love how much SF had to pay to the NRA legal team of Prop H, and how DC is going to be forced to buy Gura a new Bugatti or any similarly expensive toy he wants.

[choprzrul]

I wish that the police were forced to admit they were wrong as part of the settlement.

I would have held out for just lawyers fees and an admission of guilt by the PD and the City.

I agree, and would add that they should start pursuing a % of the offending officer's retirement package. If 5% to 50% chunks of retirement started being awarded to the aggrieved, officers would start to think twice before stomping all over people's civil rights.

Just my $.02.

.

[The Shadow]

Something to keep an eye on; there's every indication that Wisconsin WILL be shall issue before the end of 2011, and there is a push for Wisconsin to be Constitutional carry shortly after that. Brookfield better get with the program or they will have big problems in the future.

[CCWFacts]

Something to keep an eye on; there's every indication that Wisconsin WILL be shall issue before the end of 2011, and there is a push for Wisconsin to be Constitutional carry shortly after that.

I don't mean to nitpick, but their strategy right now is to skip the CCW phase entirely, and go to AZ / AK style "constitutional carry". That means you can carry without a CCW, and you can get a CCW if you want one. The optional CCW would be useful mainly for reciprocity purposes.

As the CCW movement has gathered strength the NRA is pushing for stronger and stronger CCW laws. "Constitutional carry" is the new "shall issue"!

[Glock22Fan]

Just part of the cost of doing business as usual. The city's lawyer said as much. Clearly they have no intent to change their minds.

Hand the money over for firearm education, for crying out loud? How about handing it over to educate the police and politicians that laws mean what they say? Hand it over, that is, to the nearest FFL. 7.5K will buy a nice custom 1911 (or whatever you fancy) and some ammo to go with it.

Wear a badge: "Custom 1911 kindly donated by City Council and your local Police Department. Ask me how you can get one."