The Huntsville City Council on Thursday approved a $600,000 settlement with the co-guardians of an intellectually disabled man who claimed police officers used excessive force on him two years ago.
The resolution adopted Thursday allows the city attorney to settle the federal lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Burton’s co-guardians — his brother, Xavier Burton, and Douglas C. Martinson II.
The city does not admit to any wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement.
“At a recent mediation, the City agreed to fully settle all claims in this case subject to formal approval by the Huntsville City Council. There is no admission of liability by any party in connection with this proposed resolution. Once the settlement is approved and otherwise finalized, the entire case will be dismissed with prejudice,” the city said in a statement.
“Regardless, the behavior at the center of this dispute was unacceptable to the Huntsville Police Department. The incident was reviewed by Internal Affairs, actions were found to be out of policy, officers were disciplined, and additional training provided.
This incident further affirms HPD’s continuing commitment to invest in mental health training for officers through its Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) program and through a partnership with WellStone to provide Mental Health Officer assistance in critical situations.”
The lawsuit claims Jeffrey Burton was hospitalized for five days after he was slammed to the ground, handcuffed and shocked with a stun gun by Huntsville officers on July 19, 2021.
It alleges the city and the police department “offered no training to allow its average officer on patrol to reasonably distinguish between drug abuse and other suspicious behavior and symptoms of severe intellectual/developmental disability.”
Jeffrey Burton, who was 35 years old at the time of the incident and maintained a job, was confused about his work schedule when he walked to an apartment complex thinking he would be picked up to go to work, according to the lawsuit.
The complex’s security guard called authorities, saying Jeffrey Burton either had a “mental issue” or was “high on drugs.”
Nearby patrol officers arrived on the scene and drew their weapons, the suit claimed, although Jeffrey Burton was not armed and the security guard told them she did not believe he had a weapon.
His attorneys also claimed he was not aggressive or combative toward the officers.
The officers “proceeded to shock Jeffrey multiple times with stun guns, force him to the ground, pull his pants down, and handcuff him behind his back,” the suit alleged.
At Huntsville Hospital, one of the officers told staff Jeffrey Burton was “super high on meth,” although drug tests came back clean.
When he tried to stand up while still handcuffed, an officer pushed him to the ground.
He was in Huntsville Hospital for five days, according to the lawsuit.
