Denver City Council on Monday approved a pair of $125,000 payments to settle lawsuits — one alleging that a police officer broke a man’s wrist during an arrest and the other accusing an officer of hitting a car while driving the wrong way.
Attorneys representing Michael McCormack filed a lawsuit against Denver police officer Vincent Talty after McCormack claimed that Talty unnecessarily twisted his arm and broke his right wrist during a trespassing arrest on July 4, 2018.
The lawsuit says McCormack and his girlfriend were biking along the South Platte River near downtown Denver when they stopped to explore an area near where a homeless camp had been. The couple was approached by a person self-identifying as a railroad police officer who informed McCormack he was being arrested for trespassing and radioed for backup.
Talty, one of the Denver police officers who responded, repeatedly told McCormack that he needed to “stop” and “relax” during the arrest, the suit says, before he wrenched and twisted McCormack’s right arm in a way that resulted in a loud pop. Talty broke McCormack’s right wrist and also tore a ligament, according to the complaint. McCormack denied that he had resisted arrest.
The suit also claims a doctor and two nurses who saw McCormack’s injury failed to refer him to see a specialist.
The second settlement stems from Denver police officer Jeffrey Teti allegedly driving a department SUV in the wrong lane of traffic on West Hampden Avenue about 8:30 p.m. on June 23, 2022. The officer hit Denver resident Darkina Taylor’s car near South Kendall Street as she tried to swerve out of the way.
The complaint said Taylor was expected to incur lost wages, medical expenses, emotional distress and “physical impairment and disfigurement,” though it didn’t provide details.
The Denver City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on both cases. The council approved the settlements as part of a block vote Monday night.
