Seattle will pay a University of Washington graduate student $115,000 to settle a federal civil-rights lawsuit against a police officer who broke her cheekbone during a 2006 arrest, reports the Seattle Times. The payout to Brittany Beaulieu, 32, is the third six-figure settlement or verdict since November in lawsuits stemming from violent arrests by Seattle police officers. In two cases, internal investigators recommended discipline for the officers responsible, but none was handed out.
During a traffic incident, Beaulieu allegedly told a friend not to take a police-administered breath test. An officer tried to handcuff her, but she fell and suffered a facial fracture that required surgery to repair.
Link: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008050071_copsettle14m0.html