Lawsuit Filed On Behalf Of Deceased Police Recruit Who Was Severely Beaten By Instructors
Online, August 16, 2011 (Newswire.com) - John Kohn was a promising recruit at the Norfolk Police Academy. He was also a husband and father to be. Unfortunately, Mr. Kohn was never able to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, or father. He died after suffering severe brain injuries from a beating he received from police instructors at the Academy.
Initially, Norfolk Police officials tried to minimize the attack and claimed that an earlier collision with another recruit was the cause of Mr. Kohn's brain injury death. Later, a video was discovered disproving this explanation and showed a Norfolk Police Academy instructor punching Mr. Kohn repeatedly in the head causing Mr. Kohn to lose consciousness. He was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries.
A lawsuit seeking $35,350,000 in damages has been filed on behalf of Mr. Kohn to seek justice against the allegedly liable police instructors who caused Mr. Kohn's injuries, and ultimately his death. James Lewis, partner at Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis, & Appleton, is the legal representation for Mr. Kohn's administrator, Patricia Kohn.
The damages include $35,000,000 in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages. Mr. Lewis told reporters that Mr. Kohn's family tried to settle with the city privately, but the city declined. Mr. Lewis said the city believes it has immunity by law from injuries on the job.
The lawsuit alleges that the police instructors failed to exercise ordinary and reasonable care while training Mr. Kohn at the Norfolk Police Academy. Both the acting police chief and previous police chief were named in the lawsuit along with instructors Stephen Bailey, Michael Reardon, Leldon Sapp and L. L. Tessier.
As a result of the instructor's wrongful, negligent, and careless conduct, Mr. Kohn suffered traumatic brain damage that led to his death.
A local news report features the video showing just how severely Mr. Kohn was beaten by a Norfolk Police Academy instructor. The video also features Mr. Lewis discussing the lawsuit.
