A lawsuit accusing Raleigh police of using excessive force against a man who says he slept past a motel’s checkout time survived its first major legal challenge, moving the case one step closer to a settlement or jury trial.
In September 2025, Thomas “TJ” Sanders Jr. filed a lawsuit against the city of Raleigh and two of its two police officers.
Over time, the defendants have been narrowed to just Christopher Robinson, a Raleigh police officer who was also named in an excessive-force lawsuit involving Darryl Williams. Williams died in January 2023 after officers used a Taser on him multiple times. The city settled the lawsuit last year, agreeing to pay Williams’ family nearly $1 million…