Jurors have awarded a man $500,000 in compensatory damages after finding an Atlantic City police officer used excessive force and was not properly trained.
The federal jury in Camden found Officer Sterling Wheaten did not owe punitive damages in the lawsuit, which was filed by a former deputy state attorney general. Michael Troso was arrested at his bachelor party at Trump Marina Restaurant in 2008.
Troso said he was beaten and lost his job as a result of the arrest.
Jurors found four other officers named in the lawsuit did nothing wrong.
Tracy Riley, the lawyer who represented the officers, tells The Press of Atlantic City she plans to appeal and will seek to set aside the verdict against the city, which owes half of the award.
“I think the verdict in this case clearly exonerated four of the officers,” Riley told the paper. “We’ll be seeking to pursue our counterclaim at this point.”
Wheaten faces additional lawsuits.
