Settlement talks started in Rickey Bryant lawsuit

Settlement talks started Monday in the Rickey L. Bryant Jr. police brutality case.

City attorneys requested a meeting with Bryant’s attorney Charles F. Burkwit and U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Feldman.

Burkwit said the city made a settlement offer, but it was not accepted. Burkwit would not disclose the amount offered.

The city will hire their own doctor to examine Bryant and the two sides are expected to have another meeting with Feldman in January to try to reach a settlement, Burkwit said.

“We did start discussing offers and numbers, but we weren’t able to reach any type of agreement,” he said.

In July, U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford dismissed several portions of the lawsuit accusing Rochester Police officers of assaulting Bryant in 2016. Bryant filed the lawsuit in November against the city of Rochester, Police Chief Michael Ciminelli, and about 20 officers. Wolford removed Ciminelli as a defendant.

Bryant claims that on the night of Aug.7 he was riding his bicycle on Remington Street when a police car suddenly stopped in front of him.

An officer jumped out and punched Bryant in the face, according to the complaint. Bryant, who was 17 at the time, also claims that another officer shot him with pepper balls.

Officers used mace and a Taser on Bryant, and he was punched and kicked by officers, he claims.

Bryant was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car, but never read his Miranda rights, he claims. He was taken to a police station, where an ambulance worker treated an injury to one eye.

After being treated, an officer gave Bryant his bicycle back and he was released, the suit claims.

Bryant, who was never charged with a crime, suffered a fracture to the bone around his left eye in addition to bruises, blurred vision, a concussion, headaches, and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the complaint.

The five remaining claims in the suit are: Illegal search and seizure against the officers; excessive use of force against the officers; failure to intervene/protect against the officers; battery against the officers and the city; and assault against the officers and the city.

The case attracted special attention from Rochester City Council, which subpoenaed documents in the case and conducted its own investigation, although the results have not been made public.