A Nebraska man who stopped to help victims of a devastating motorcycle crash instead found himself handcuffed, jailed and accused of driving under the influence — despite repeatedly asking officers to administer a breath test that he believed would prove his innocence.
Now, nearly five years later, the city of Fort Collins has paid Jesse Cunningham $500,000 to settle his lawsuit. Cunningham’s attorney says it is the largest settlement ever reached in a wrongful DUI arrest case, though no national database tracks such settlements. As part of the agreement, the city does not admit wrongdoing.
Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said on Monday, “we chose to resolve this one (lawsuit) initiated by Cunningham to avoid the continued expense and disruption of ongoing litigation. The agreed-upon financial settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the City and Police Services.”…