For more than a decade, the Oakland Police Department had a practice, and eventually a written policy, allowing officers to strip search people right on the street in broad daylight. Haddad & Sherwin teamed up with John Burris to represent dozens of men – all African-American – who were subjected to this offensive and illegal police misconduct. Some of these cases lasted almost ten years, in the course of which, we obtained an important court ruling striking down Oakland’s unconstitutional strip search policies, we won a trial with punitive damages for two men, and achieved a sweeping $4.6 million settlement for the remaining 39 men. Altogether, these related cases resulted in verdicts and settlements over $5,850,000, and a sweeping agreement that includes a new lawful OPD strip search policy and re-training, with court oversight and enforcement.
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