A Cleveland jury sided with a man, awarding him $50 million after being beaten while handcuffed by East Cleveland police officers.
He was then locked in a storage closet for four days with nothing to eat or drink and no toilet.
It’s not the first time a jury sided with him either.
In 2016, a different Cuyahoga County jury awarded 52-year-old Arnold Black $22 million after a three-day trial where no attorneys attended to represent East Cleveland.
The city appealed and the lawsuit was sent back for another trial to the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
The jury from last week apparently thought the abuses against Black were so egregious, it concluded to award him $20 million in compensatory damages and $30 million punitive damages.
It happened seven years ago.
But Black says he still relives the trauma.
“I didn’t know if I was ever going to come out of the room. I didn’t know anything. I banged on the door yet the whole police station ignored me,” he told Fox 8.
The jury heard Black’s cries for justice and gave the Cleveland police department 50 million reasons to take measures to weed out its corrupt officers.
“The courage it takes to go to court, testify, be cross examined by the city’s lawyers, be taunted, picked at, it takes a special person to endure all that,” Bobby Dicello, Black’s attorney, said.
After being wrongly arrested, Black suffered a concussion that required brain surgery.
“They literally just kidnapped me off the streets. They never booked me; they put me in a closet until the county came and got me,” he recalled.
Police pulled over Black’s truck in April 2012 alleging suspicion a large amount of cocaine was inside.
When no cocaine was discovered, detective Randy Hicks began pounding Black’s face with punches.
Another patrol officer held Black upright so Hicks could continue beating him.
The two officers then locked him inside of a closet, used as a makeshift holding cell.
Detective Hicks actually took the stand in Black’s trial and testified the East Cleveland Police Department had a culture of violence.
Officers often roughed up and beat suspects to get them to talk.
A grand jury indicted Black on a drug possession charge.
However, an assistant prosecutor for Cuyahoga County requested the charges be thrown out after police failed to provide adequate evidence to support the charges.
Black, who seemed unfazed by his newfound wealth, said the jury’s verdict is not about the money to him.
“It was never about the money. I never knew I would get rewarded anything like this period. I just want the world to know what they are doing to me and other people. I would hate to see someone go through what I went through,” he explained.
Justin Awal, a defense attorney, said Black was “elated” by the verdict.
