The Luther Gonzales-Hall lawsuit ended in June 2023 with a Wayne County jury awarding the Romulus man $9.3 million after finding that Dearborn Police Officer Marvin Sanders violated his constitutional rights during a 2018 arrest that began when Gonzales-Hall, then 20, stopped to ask for directions. Sanders has appealed the verdict, and that appeal remains pending before the Michigan Court of Appeals.1ClickOnDetroit. Jury Awards $9.3 Million to Man Wrongly Arrested by Dearborn Officer After Asking for Directions
What Happened at the White Castle
On a night in November 2018, Gonzales-Hall was riding his bicycle home from a friend’s house when he got lost. He asked Sanders for directions, then went into a White Castle on Telegraph Road near Oxford Street to double-check with employees inside. Body camera footage shows Sanders following him in and asking why he was putting the same question to the staff. Gonzales-Hall answered that he was “just looking for my way back to the crib,” said “thank you,” and tried to leave.2The Detroit News. Romulus Man Awarded Nearly $10M After Alleged Assault by Dearborn Police Officer
Outside, Sanders ran after Gonzales-Hall as he attempted to ride away and tackled him off the bicycle. On the recording, Gonzales-Hall can be heard asking, “What did I do? I’m sorry; what did I do? I was just asking for directions, bro,” and telling Sanders, “You’re choking me.”3FOX 2 Detroit. Man Wins $10 Million Lawsuit Verdict After Assault by Dearborn Police Officer Sanders’ body camera fell to the ground during the struggle and stopped recording the primary encounter; a second officer’s camera captured the handcuffing.4Press and Guide. Jury Awards Romulus Man $9.3 Million After Determining Rights Violated by Dearborn Police
Gonzales-Hall suffered six fractures in his foot. He underwent multiple surgeries, including a partial foot fusion, and was left with a permanent limp and chronic swelling. He also reported ongoing nightmares. “My injuries will never completely heal,” he said during trial.2The Detroit News. Romulus Man Awarded Nearly $10M After Alleged Assault by Dearborn Police Officer
Gonzales-Hall, who has a learning disability, was initially charged with resisting and opposing an officer. The charge was later dismissed for lack of probable cause. His attorney, Azzam Elder, said prosecutors later cited slurred speech from drinking as an additional justification for the arrest, but that detail did not appear in the original police report.
The Federal Civil Rights Case
In October 2020, Gonzales-Hall filed suit under 42 U.S.C. ยง 1983 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against the City of Dearborn, the Dearborn Police Department, Sanders, and several other officers. The complaint alleged unlawful arrest, excessive force, false imprisonment, battery, wrongful charging, inadequate training, failure to discipline, and a “blue code of silence” within the department.5ClickOnDetroit. Federal Lawsuit Filed Against City of Dearborn, Dearborn Police Department
The state law claims were dismissed in November 2020, and the case moved forward on the federal civil rights claims. The defendant officers sought summary judgment on qualified immunity. Judge Nancy G. Edmunds denied that motion on the unlawful arrest and excessive force claims against Sanders, finding that a reasonable jury could conclude Gonzales-Hall had been stopped without reasonable suspicion and arrested without probable cause, and that those Fourth Amendment protections had been clearly established since Terry v. Ohio in 1968.6Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Civil Rights – Qualified Immunity – Arrest The court cited testimony that Gonzales-Hall was pushed and kicked after being handcuffed and held that such force could be objectively unreasonable.
By the time of trial, the roster of defendants had narrowed. The City of Dearborn, the Dearborn Police Department, and an officer named Walker were dismissed by stipulation earlier in the case. On a motion for reconsideration, Judge Edmunds dismissed claims against officers Aaron Najor, Peter Hoye, and Steven Vert for lack of evidence of personal involvement in the use of force. The court kept the case against Sanders alive, rejecting his argument that a prior bicycle-related robbery investigation from his time as a Detroit officer gave him reasonable suspicion, and noting that any such concern “dissipated during the interaction when restaurant employees told Defendant Sanders that Plaintiff was simply asking for directions.”7GovInfo. Opinion and Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Defendants’ Motion for Reconsideration
The $9.3 Million Verdict
After a seven-day jury trial in Wayne County Circuit Court, the jury returned its verdict on June 14, 2023, finding that Sanders had violated Gonzales-Hall’s constitutional rights and awarding $9.3 million in damages.8WXYZ Detroit. Man Tackled by Dearborn Police Officer in 2018 Awarded $9.3 Million in Court Elder, of Elder Brinkman Law, called it “the largest in history against a Dearborn police officer.”
Elder said the body camera footage was pivotal. “The only time a citizen has a real voice is when there’s a video camera, and that’s what’s scary,” he said. “It protects good police officers and also protects the citizen’s rights.” He argued that officers are trained to deal with people who have disabilities, are on the autism spectrum, or are intoxicated, and that Sanders should have responded with sensitivity rather than force.
The City of Dearborn declined to comment on the verdict, citing potential pending litigation. The Dearborn Police Department did not respond to questions about Sanders’ employment status and directed reporters to file a Freedom of Information Act request.4Press and Guide. Jury Awards Romulus Man $9.3 Million After Determining Rights Violated by Dearborn Police
Where the Case Stands
Sanders appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals. In March 2024, the appellate court granted a motion allowing out-of-state attorney Gretchen Harris Sperry to represent him alongside counsel of record Cara M. Swindlehurst. The appeal is pending under docket number 369633, with lower court case number 20-016443-NO.9Justia. Luther D Gonzales-Hall V City Of Dearborn, Docket No. 369633
Discipline Against the Officer
Sanders held the rank of corporal in the Dearborn Police Department when the department issued a press release about the case in early 2023. An internal affairs review completed roughly two years after the arrest resulted in a one-day suspension without pay, the only confirmed discipline connected to the incident. The department has not publicly disclosed whether Sanders remains employed there.