ST. LOUIS - A Missouri woman who lost her baby during an emergency Caesarean section the day after being released from police custody where she was held for more than 12 hours without food or water, has settled her civil rights suit against the City of Sikeston and several police officers for a record amount.
The $400,000 settlement is the largest out of court settlement for an excessive force case in Missouri this year, according to Missouri Lawyers Weekly, which monitors large verdicts and settlements.
Renita Newman of Sikeston was arrested in July 1998 following a confrontation with police officers over an incident involving her 8-year-old son. The boy and his friends were throwing roof shingles around the yard when one hit the car of officer Kevin Stafford. Newman, who was eight months pregnant, intervened when Stafford and another officer handcuffed the boy. She was then handcuffed and taken to the Sikeston police station.
Newman was handcuffed to a table and her wrists began to swell and bleed. She requested medical care but did not receive it and was subsequently jailed for 23 hours, including 12 hours without food or water.
The next day Newman went to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain and high blood pressure. The baby's heart rate had dropped significantly and an emergency Caesarean section was performed, but the baby died during delivery.
Newman and her 8-year-old son, who are African American, sued in federal court in St. Louis for race discrimination and for the wrongful death of the fetus. Newman claimed she suffered emotional distress at the loss of the baby girl and that her son suffered emotional distress from the belief that he caused the baby's death. The settlement will be paid out over time, and has a present value of $400,000.
"This is a record high settlement of a police brutality case in Missouri," said attorney Ken Jones, editor of Missouri Lawyers Weekly. "The size of the settlement shows that the defendants were concerned about how a jury would react upon hearing about the actions of law enforcement officers involved in case."