Rochester reaches settlement in police abuse case

Mark Wasson, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·1 min read

Sep. 6—ST. PAUL — A civil rights lawsuit against a Rochester police officer is expected to be formally dismissed following a viewing of video footage of the incident by a federal magistrate.

The lawsuit, brought by Todd McIntyre against Rochester police officer Craig Sammon, alleged that Sammon attacked an intoxicated McIntyre following a disorderly call at Legends Bar & Grill in 2016.

"Mr. McIntyre chose to voluntarily dismiss his case for zero dollars," Sammon's lawyer, Jason Hively, told the Post Bulletin. "The only thing we agreed to do is to not pursue a cost judgment against him."

The full details of the settlement are currently under seal following the hearing in federal court on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2023. The settlement terms are expected to be made public within the month.

Sammon appeared Wednesday in court with his attorneys, Hively and Joe Neubauer, of Iverson Reuvers, along with Rochester Police Department lawyers Rob Jarret and Sarah Clayton. Rochester City Attorney Michael Spindler-Krage also appeared in court for the officer.

"For plaintiffs, excessive force cases are very, very difficult," McIntyre's attorney, William French told the Post Bulletin. "After viewing the available videos, the federal magistrate presiding at the settlement conference believed, though he did not say so explicitly, that the case should be dismissed for the defense's offer to waive its costs. And it eventually was."

According to court filings, Sammon was exonerated by a 2016 in-house investigation that showed body camera and surveillance footage of the incident that contradicted McIntyre's claims.

Since the Post Bulletin's initial reporting on the lawsuit, Rochester Police Chief Jim Franklin has been adamant about Sammon's innocence in the case.