Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A. Client Awarded $11.5 Million in Constitutional Rights Verdict
A Prince George's County Circuit court jury issued an $11,505,000.00 verdict on March 16, 2011 against Prince George's County and Steven Jackson, a county police officer, arising from the August 16, 2008 shooting death of Manuel Espina in Langley Park. The case was brought by Espina's widow, Estela, and his son, Manuel Dejesus Espina, for violating Espina's constitutional rights in assaulting and shooting him while working off-duty at a Langley Park apartment complex. The verdict was the result of a 23 day trial before Judge Albert W. Nothrop.
Attorneys for the Espina family issued this statement following the verdict:
"The jury's award recognizes the outrageous police misconduct in this case and its impact upon the Espina family. The facts in this case should shock the conscience of the county and raise the question of who is policing the police."
The Espinas were represented by Timothy F. Maloney, Steven B. Vinick, Veronica B. Nannis, and Michael W. McGraw of Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A. in Greenbelt, Md. and Thomas J. Mooney of Upper Marlboro, Md.