Alameda County sheriff’s deputies were at a facility for the care of people with developmental disabilities and mental illness when those deputies intervened in a situation where trained staff were calming down a young woman in crises. The young woman has the mental capacity of a four year old child. The deputies pushed aside staff, and Tased and beat the young woman into submission. Then despite learning what was going on, they arrested and took her to jail. The young woman was released after three days and all charges aginst her were dismissed. Haddad & Sherwin sued the deputies and the Sheriff’s Department for civil rights violations. Alameda County eventually agreed to settle the case, paying $160,000 into a trust fund for the young woman, paying her legal fees separately, and agreeing to new written procedures for when deputies may be called to that facility again.
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