Bell v. Williams

BACKGROUND

27 A jury trial was held from March 21-30, 2022 in this civil rights action brought by plaintiff Vincent Bell against defendants Sergeant Yvette Williams and the City and County of San Francisco (“City”). The jury found in favor of Bell on his claim of excessive force against Williams, his claim against the City for failure to train deputized staff on the proper use of the SORT and the safety cell under Monell v. Dep’t of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S. 658 (1978), and his claims against the City for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The jury found against Bell on his claims that Williams violated his due process rights by placing him in the safety cell, or that Williams retaliated against Bell in violation of his First Amendment rights. The jury additionally found that Bell had proven that the City caused him physical and emotional harm, and awarded him $504,000 in compensatory damages. The jury found that Bell did not prove that Williams caused him physical or emotional harm. The jury did not award punitive damages. Now before the Court is defendants’ motion for judgment…