The Supreme Court of Ohio ruled today that the city of East Cleveland must pay more than $30 million for unlawfully arresting a man, beating him, and confining him in a storage closet for four days.
In a unanimous per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court required East Cleveland to pay or arrange to pay Arnold Black, who won a $20 million verdict against the city in August 2019. Black sought a writ of mandamus from the Court to force the city to pay the verdict plus interest after the city refused to respond to his requests. The decision requires East Cleveland to pay more than $10 million in prejudgment and postjudgment interest, which is still accumulating.
In April 2012, Black was arrested during a traffic stop, even though the officers admitted there was no legitimate reason for stopping Black because he had not committed a crime. Detective Randy Hicks began questioning Black about who sells drugs in the city, and when Black responded he did not know, Hicks struck Black in the face and head.
Black was transported to the East Cleveland jail, where he was placed in a “holding cell,” which was a storage room containing a wooden bench, storage lockers, and cleaning supplies. The room had no bed or toilet. Black was kept in the storage room for four days.
Black filed a lawsuit against Hicks, the police chief, and the city in 2014. A jury trial began in 2016 but was delayed by several legal challenges from the city. After a second jury trial, a jury in August 2019 found the city and the officers liable for $20 million in damages. The court also ordered the city to pay $5.2 million in prejudgment interest.
The city appealed the judgment to the Eighth District Court of Appeals, which affirmed the decision in 2020. The Supreme Court of Ohio and the U.S. Supreme Court declined the city’s request to review the case.
In 2021, Black’s attorney sent the city a certified letter requesting it pay judgment. The city did not respond. In February 2023, Black sought a writ of mandamus from the Supreme Court to compel them either to pay or follow procedures outlined under R.C. 2744.06 for setting up payment plans. As of August 2023, factoring postjudgment interest into consideration brought what he believed due at $30.4 million total.
Today’s opinion referenced its prior ruling State ex rel Hunt v E Cleveland ordering payments over $12 million after citizens were struck by police cruisers back then too finding liability via courts just like here thus R.C274406A mandates such payments said opinions noting cities’ defenses being incorrect since enough evidence provided on owed sums...