Franklin County, Ohio, will pay $40,000 to settle lawsuits by two former jail inmates who accused deputy sheriffs of using excessive force by shocking them with Tasers, says the Columbus Dispatch. The settlements are related to a class-action lawsuit by the Ohio Legal Rights Service, a state agency that said deputies had violated prisoners' constitutional rights. County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said that about six more cases could be settled.
In ending the class-action suit, the sheriff's office agreed that deputies will not use Tasers unless someone resists “by use of physical force,” displays “active aggression” or otherwise poses a threat to deputies or others in the jail. In one case being settled, an inmate was shocked after having trouble removing her tongue ring. In the other, an inmate was stunned with a Taser after he refused to remove his underwear.