Crime & Safety
Fed Appeals Court Reinstates Palm Desert Excessive-Force Lawsuit Against Local Police
Robert Albert Appel, 48, died after police tussled with him while he was in the midst of a delusional episode, according to court records.
The following was reported by City News Service:
A federal appellate panel Thursday reinstated an excessive, deadly force lawsuit filed by the mother of a mentally disturbed man who died in 2010 after being restrained by Palm Desert police.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who presided over a trial on the suit, "improperly" relied on his personal experience as a former police officer when he ruled for Riverside County after a Los Angeles federal jury failed to reach a verdict.
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Robert Albert Appel, 48, died after police tussled with him while he was in the midst of a delusional episode, according to the complaint.
A Riverside County coroner classified the death as a homicide, finding that Appel's heart was enlarged, papers show.
Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The lawsuit alleging constitutional violations and negligence, filed by Carole Krechman, was remanded back to Wright's courtroom for a new trial.
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