Secured $270,000 Settlement in Excessive Use of Force Lawsuit Against the City of Mankato, Minnesota

Mensing v. City of Mankato, et al.

Robins Kaplan attorneys secured a $270,000 settlement in a police misconduct lawsuit against the City of Mankato, Minnesota and one of it’s officers. In January 2019, our 42-year-old client went out for the evening. He had some drinks and food and approximately one hour later, an officer was dispatched for a report of an intoxicated male. Our client was passed out and awoken by officers. He was cooperative and complying with their commands. 

When leading our client out of the establishment, the officer’s report claims that our client was becoming “increasingly agitated with law enforcement”. However, there was no indication of this on the body worn camera (BWC). The officer then placed our client’s left arm into an iron wrist lock and applied enough pressure to cause a complex fracture. Dashcam footage shows our client being complacent with officers but complaining about being in great pain. His wrist was obviously swollen and misshapen upon arriving at the police station.

Our client was never charged with a crime and was released. Further medical evaluation revealed a complex fracture in our client’s left wrist that required open surgery to repair. He incurred over $27,000 in medical bills, as well as lost past and future wages, due to the injury. He will likely have additional medical expenses in the future.