
WILLMAR, Minn. (KFGO/KWLM) – The City of Willmar and Police Officer Christopher Flatten have filed a response to a lawsuit filed by a Willmar man who claims he was wrongly arrested because of his race.
Flatten and the city filed their response Friday, 30 days after 39-year-old Derrick Gilbert filed the suit demanding more than $50,000 in damages for his arrest on June 22nd 2022. Flatten says he was looking for a man named Sammy Price who was wanted on a warrant.
Flatten stopped Gilbert as he walked on a city street, questioned him and later arrested him for obstruction of justice. Gilbert says he was humiliated and suffered injury, and claimed the arrest amounted to harassment. Both Price and Gilbert are black.
In their response, Flatten and the city denied Gilbert was injured and said Flatten was acting in good faith as a police officer, and also enjoys qualified immunity from being sued. They also deny violating Gilbert’s constitutional rights. They say Gilbert’s arrest on obstruction was lawful, and deny allegations of discrimination.
The city, and Flatten, are asking for a jury trial and ask that Gilbert not get any damages and pay for Flatten and the city’s legal costs. A scheduling conference on the case is set for August 1st (830). Gilbert is being representative by The American Civil Liberties Union, which accuses Willmar Police of stopping Gilbert for “walking while black.”
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