Lawsuit against ex-cop in TASER case is settled

The city of Minneapolis paid $75k in March 2010, plus $45k in attorney's fees

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By Matt McKinney
Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS — The final piece of a 2009 lawsuit that stemmed from a Minneapolis police officer's use of a Taser to subdue a suspect was settled Wednesday, according to U.S. District Court documents. Details of the settlement were not made public, and neither the former officer, Todd Lappegaard, nor the plaintiff Rolando Ruiz, now 21, or his attorney, Al Goins, could be reached for comment.

Lappegaard lost his job as a result of the April 2009 incident, in which he stunned Ruiz in the neck and back with a Taser for at least 10 seconds. Ruiz was standing with his hands on the hood of Lappegaard's patrol car when he was stunned, falling to the ground. Lappegaard argued that he was concerned Ruiz would fight, but city officials said Lappegaard should have waited for nearby officers to assist with the arrest.

The city paid $75,000 to Ruiz in March 2010, plus $45,066 for his attorney's fees to settle the suit. The 2010 payment resolved Ruiz's claims against the city of Minneapolis and Police Chief Tim Dolan, but not the claim against Lappegaard.

Lappegaard, a 17-year veteran of the police department, felt the firing was unfair but he was never rehired by the Minneapolis police.

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