Thabo acquitted by jury.

[Gray Mule]

N.Y. Police, who broke Thabo's leg, were not in the right with what they did.

Jury found Hawk player innocent of all charges.  He had been offered a plea

where he would have been guilty and had to do one day's work for the city.

Glad he had the time, money and fortitude to fight this.  Now, maybe he can

get on with his NBA life and recover from this injury.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Gray Mule

[AHF]

I think the first statement goes further than the verdict did.  The verdict didn't say whether the police were right or not - it said that there was not evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Thabo committed a crime.  If Thabo sues them civilly he will have to prove that they were wrong (though not with the reasonable doubt standard).  Hope he does prove that.

[Guest]

@AHF Do you think if Thabo proceeds with a lawsuit should he do it now or later.  Determine how he comes back from the injury?  What if he never fully recovers or has another issue etc, having to retire earlier than he likes etc.

[Guest]

Sefolosha wiped away tears of relief as he listened to the verdict, which the jury of three men and three women reached after less than an hour of deliberations.

While it seems likely he will file civil charges against the police, Sefolosha said outside court he has not yet decided how to proceed.

Instead, he focused Friday on the satisfaction of clearing his name. Sefolosha could have accepted a deferred dismissal before the trial began, but chose to fight for a not guilty verdict.

“I wanted the truth to come out, and justice to come out,” he said.

Now he wants to get back to playing basketball with the Hawks. Sefolosha hasn’t fully recovered from the injuries apparently suffered when a police officer kicked his right leg. He has been cleared for all basketball activities and has participated in training camp before leaving this week for the trial. He hopes to be ready when the Hawks season opens later this month.

“I hope I still have a long career,” he said.

 

http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/basketball/sefolosha-i-wanted-the-truth-to-come-out/nnyjc/?icmp=myajc_internallink_megamenu_link

[AHF]

@AHF Do you think if Thabo proceeds with a lawsuit should he do it now or later.  Determine how he comes back from the injury?  What if he never fully recovers or has another issue etc, having to retire earlier than he likes etc.

Probably good momentum right now but it will likely take years to go all the way through unless they settle early.  You are right that the big dollars will come from any medical complications in his comeback so there is a real reason to perhaps concentrate on basketball and just move on if things are good and sue if he has issues.  If the primary motivation will be punishing the cops he should probably move forward quickly and get that into the news to possibly use the press from his acquittal to help preview his case to the jury pool.

[Dejay]

I wish the Hawks and all of us could sue the NYPD. Before that fateful night, they were rolling and catching their second wind. That incident took the wind right out of them. You think that Bradley Beal and Paul Pierce would've had the looks they had with Thabo blanketed on them? But alas, I do like the quote from Arsenio Hall regarding this outcome:

'Whatever the words 'Thabo Sefolosha' is worth in a scrabble game is how many millions he should get as a settlement...' 

[Sothron]

I hope Thabo gets all he can in a civil lawsuit. It was a disgrace what they did to him.

[benhillboy]

I'm just glad he's exonerated.  I know th civil suit would be very advantageous to him, but I hope he has tunnel vision on this season.  Maybe lay off the after hours carousing now that his European, 30-something-year old fellow pantie chaser is gone.  Hopefully he won't try to hang with Dennis' crew.  

I personally think he's the most vital part to a championship run for us.  During our run in January, his defense was simply exquisite.  Team defense wins championships, those with role-playing lock-down perimeter defenders notably.

 

 

[thecampster]

I hope Thabo gets all he can in a civil lawsuit. It was a disgrace what they did to him.

The only people who truly pay when you sue a city is the citizens. It won't mean anything to the cops.

[hawkman]

The only people who truly pay when you sue a city is the citizens. It won't mean anything to the cops.

He needs to do something though. I'm glad he was acquitted but that alone isn't satisfying enough, at least not to me. The police report was obviously falsified/embellished to justify the officer's behavior. Other incriminating evidence may have been kept from the defense by the prosecution where they outright lied in the 'first draft' of that report about the events that led up to the arrests. Not to mention that someone had their leg broken during a false arrest after getting profiled by the police. There needs to be some accountability for all of that, whether it be through criminal charges or a civil trial where Thabo gets monetary compensation.

[DrReality]

Class action suit by fans for emotional damage inflicted.  

[Randy]

Yeah us fans are the injured parties.   I've had to spend thousands on counseling and medicine due to the depression brought on by by the playoff losses.  NYPD you owe us...... 

[thecampster]

I'd like a public review of what will be the internal investigation. In most police departments, acquittals lead to internal inquiries about the situation. I, like everyone else had thoughts about this when it first happened...the typical "nothing good happens after midnight" and such.  But once the video showing that the arrest happened well over 100 feet from where the stabbing took place, it became obvious the arrest and the officer's story was BS. Rather than a monetary suit, I think a public airing of the internal review would suffice.

 

[Guest]

 “The NYPD has all but conceded that they falsely and improperly arrested Pero Antic,” Alex Spiro, Pero’s attorney, said. “They will now be held responsible.” Sefolosha’s suit, which will name the NYPD and other city agencies, will likely include charges of unlawful force, unlawful arrest and malicious prosecution, the source said. Sefolosha’s notice of claim, also filed last year, set $50 million as the ceiling he can be compensated for damages. 

– via ESPN.com

 

Former Atlanta Hawks center Pero Antic on Friday filed a civil suit against the New York Police Department, and Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha will file suit this week, a source close to the proceedings said. False arrest, unlawful imprisonment, assault, battery, negligence, civil rights violations and malicious prosecution were listed as the claims in Antic’s complaint. Under Antic’s notice of claim, filed last year, $25 million was set as the maximum amount Antic can recover. 

– via ESPN.com

 

[Guest]

59 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 “The NYPD has all but conceded that they falsely and improperly arrested Pero Antic,” Alex Spiro, Pero’s attorney, said. “They will now be held responsible.” Sefolosha’s suit, which will name the NYPD and other city agencies, will likely include charges of unlawful force, unlawful arrest and malicious prosecution, the source said. Sefolosha’s notice of claim, also filed last year, set $50 million as the ceiling he can be compensated for damages. 

– via ESPN.com

 

Former Atlanta Hawks center Pero Antic on Friday filed a civil suit against the New York Police Department, and Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha will file suit this week, a source close to the proceedings said. False arrest, unlawful imprisonment, assault, battery, negligence, civil rights violations and malicious prosecution were listed as the claims in Antic’s complaint. Under Antic’s notice of claim, filed last year, $25 million was set as the maximum amount Antic can recover. 

– via ESPN.com

 

Milk the NYPD for ever last penny baby. Let this be a lesson for all pigs around the world. Faqum!

[hawkman]

3 hours ago, Spud2Nique said:

Milk the NYPD for ever last penny baby. Let this be a lesson for all pigs around the world. Faqum!

I agree but the taxpayers will end up footing the bill.  That's why the NYPD continues to behave the way they do despite how many brutality suits they settle. There is no real accountability. Heck, plain clothes NYPD just arrested a mailman while he was delivering a package because he yelled at them after they almost hit him while exiting his truck.  They used the same, "Stop resisting!!!!", tactics and everything. This is a FEDERAL employee in uniform we are talking about. Nothing will change.

[Gray Mule]

Having had two sons who were, for many years, law officers,  I know many of the things that

they must face on a daily basis.  However, this does not give them the right to bully or run

over the average citizen.  I feel that these police officers were way, way off base.

 

Also, I know that  a mailman is a federal employee as I spent 33 years with the USPS  in various

positions, mainly a rural mail carrier.  It's a federal offense to attack one of  these people.

 

My last point.  Who is going to suffer for these crimes?  I also was an insurance salesman for

about twenty years.  Will the insurance have to pay off, the officers and departments that

they work for go free of punishment and everyone go on as before?

 

[Vol4ever]

10 hours ago, Spud2Nique said:

Milk the NYPD for ever last penny baby. Let this be a lesson for all pigs around the world. Faqum!

Are you calling police officers pigs?  I sure hope not.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Vol4ever said:

Are you calling police officers pigs?  I sure hope not.

I understand the law is obviously needed but sometimes cops overuse their power negatively. Many instances of this imo.

[Gray Mule]

Law officer called a pig?  Back, many years ago, when this was popular, I remember the way that

Al  Capp, author of the Lil Abner comic strip defined this.  I like it!

P - Pride

I- Integrity

G- Guts

He said that all good police officers had Pride, Integrity and Guts.   Thus, in his world, this was not

a bad thing at all.