Settlement reached in social worker's federal lawsuit over his arrest at Summit courthouse
A settlement has been reached in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by a court-appointed social worker over his arrest at the Summit County Courthouse.
The city of Akron, Summit County and a Summit County judge — through her judicial insurance — together agreed to pay Curtis Williams $82,500. Williams claimed deputies used excessive force in his arrest and unwarranted criminal charges were filed against him that were later dismissed.
“While we believe we would have recovered substantially more at trial, this was never about the money for Williams who is glad to put this behind him now that the county, city and judge finally agreed to a settlement that sufficiently reflects the seriousness of their violations of his constitutional rights and clears his name,” Peter Patakkos, a Fairlawn attorney who represented Williams, said in a statement.
More: Court social worker sues Akron, Summit County for alleged excessive force in 2020 arrest
The city of Akron’s portion of the settlement was $10,000.
“The city decided to resolve the matter at mediation for nuisance value to avoid the considerable expense it would incur in defending against the meritless claim,” the city’s law department said in an emailed statement.
Greta Johnson, chief of staff for Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro, confirmed that the county paid $42,500 for the settlement. She declined to discuss it further.
Summit County Probate Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer, who alerted deputies when Williams was trying to access the courthouse through a side entrance, said her judicial insurance opted to pay a $30,000 settlement to Williams to avoid litigation expenses. She said she understood the decision, though she would have preferred that it had gone to trial.
“I looked forward to testifying at trial and describing what I did when Williams entered an unsecured door at the courthouse,” Stormer said in an emailed statement.
Williams is arrested trying to access the courthouse
Williams is a social worker for Minority Behavioral Health Group in Akron.
In the fall of 2020, he had been appointed to assist with HOPE Court, a Summit County Common Pleas Court program for people with mental illness who run afoul of the law.
On the afternoon of Sept. 15, 2020, Williams said in the lawsuit that he had a session with HOPE Court participants in the courtyard outside of the Summit County Courthouse to allow for more social distancing at a time when such safety precautions were being taken because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the end of the session, Williams urgently needed to use the bathroom and decided to walk in through a door off the courtyard rather than take the longer walk to the main courthouse entrance, according to the lawsuit.
As Williams was about to walk in, Stormer was walking out. Stormer took issue with Williams going in through this door. Williams told her he worked for the court and needed to use the restroom, according to the lawsuit.
Williams continued to pull the door open to allow Stormer to exit and him to enter and Stormer pushed him in the chest away from the doorway, according to the lawsuit.
Williams walked past Stormer, planning to talk to the deputies to see if it was permissible for him to come in this way. Stormer, though, alerted deputies, claiming Williams posed a security threat and had assaulted her, according to the lawsuit.
Four deputies beat, tackled and pinned Williams — also using a stun gun on him — and handcuffed him on the lobby floor while passersby looked on, according to the lawsuit.
Williams was charged with assaulting Stormer, as well as misdemeanor counts of trespass and disorderly conduct.
Surveillance footage from a camera in the area captured the incident, though footage from four other security cameras wasn't preserved and was recorded over, according to the lawsuit.
Williams’ charges are dismissed and he files a lawsuit
A visiting judge in Akron Municipal Court dismissed the charges against Williams in May 2021 because of a speedy trial issue.
Pattakos said in September 2022 that this situation could have been avoided if Stormer had had a 30-second conversation with Williams about who he was and why he was trying to get into the building. If the judge was concerned, he said, she could have involved the deputies in this discussion.
Pattakos said he attempted to reach a settlement with county officials before taking legal action. When this wasn't successful, a lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland against the city, Summit County, several deputies and Stormer.
The suit claimed Williams suffered economic and non-economic damages and mental, emotional and physical pain and suffering. It sought more than $75,000 in punitive damages, attorneys' fees and expenses.
After a court mediation, settlements were reached with all the parties by late last month, according to court records.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Summit County, Akron and judge pay $82,500 to settle arrest lawsuit
