Mount Clemens, Michigan – A federal jury awarded $20,001 to a man who accused corrections officers at Macomb County Jail of using excessive force against him in 2018. Brian P. Hyde, 42, sought $34 million in damages but was ultimately awarded $20,000 in punitive damages and $1 for pain and suffering. The jury unanimously found that three out of five deputies involved in the incident committed excessive force.
Hyde alleged that on July 14, 2018, he was blindfolded, bound, and had a bag placed over his head by corrections deputies. He claimed that he was then beaten, tortured, and shocked in the groin area multiple times before being left in a restraint chair for up to five hours. The jury concluded that his constitutional rights had been violated.
The remaining defendants in the lawsuit were the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, which was later removed from the case. The plaintiff failed to prove that the sheriff’s office had failed to adequately train its officers. Hyde’s trial attorney, Michael Jones, expressed disappointment in the amount awarded but highlighted his client’s satisfaction in proving that excessive force had been used.
Although Hyde alleged injuries such as a concussion and broken ribs, X-rays at the jail did not support his claims. He did suffer from facial bruising. Jones noted that Hyde’s failure to seek therapy for psychological damage weakened his case. Hyde continues to feel paranoid about encountering deputies from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.
A portion of the incident was captured on video. Hyde, on the other hand, pleaded no contest to two prison-employee assault charges in December 2018 in Macomb Circuit Court and was subsequently sentenced to time served. He had been in jail at the time on a domestic assault charge that was later dropped. Hyde was then placed in an isolation cell for nearly seven months.
The county, which maintains that Hyde threw urine on a deputy, is expected to pay the awarded amount from its liability fund. Hyde denies throwing urine and claims that another inmate was responsible. Despite the outcome, Hyde is satisfied that he had his day in court.