A federal jury Wednesday rejected a Little Rock man’s claims that an off-duty police officer used excessive force in punching him seven times in the face outside a Little Rock restaurant Oct. 29, 2011.
Eleven jurors deliberated close to two hours before unanimously rejecting the claims of Jon “Chris” Erwin, 45, who said his civil rights were violated by Lt. David Hudson, then a veteran Little Rock police officer, when he arrested Erwin outside Ferneau, a restaurant at 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. that closed the next month.
A woman who had been sitting outside the restaurant with her camera after taking pictures with a friend videotaped part of the arrest, which was posted on social media and viewed thousands of times.
“I feel vindicated. I’ve always felt that my actions were proper,” Hudson said after the verdict.
His attorney, Bill James of Little Rock, said outside the courthouse, “We’re real happy the jury saw it the way we did. When you look at the entire situation, not just the three to four seconds they focused on, it was a reasonable show of force.”
Erwin and one of his attorneys, David H. Williams of Little Rock, said that despite the verdict, they were glad for the chance to tell the story publicly of what they considered a rogue police officer abusing his authority.
“It was never about the money,” Erwin said. “It was about trying to get the word out.”
Erwin sought compensatory damages for medical bills and mental anguish that he said were a result of the scuffle, which left him with a swollen face that needed three stitches, and punitive damages.
Hudson would have had to personally pay the punitive damages, because the city and the restaurant that owned Ferneau both settled their claims over the weekend with Erwin. The settlement hasn’t yet been filed.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.