DETROIT (AP) — A jury has awarded $3.5 million to a suburban Detroit man for his wrongful arrest and jailing in a case of mistaken identity.
The Detroit Free Press reports that 43-year-old Marvin Seales of Harper Woods was given his verdict Friday. It came about six years after he was jailed for 15 days when police believed he was a fugitive wanted for attempted murder.
The fugitive had used Seales’ name as an alias.
The lawsuit against Detroit and Police Officer Thomas Zberkot took years to resolve due to the city’s historic bankruptcy. Zberkot executed the arrest warrant that landed Seales in jail. The city has argued that Zberkot acted properly, saying that people often deny being the person wanted in a warrant.
Seales’ attorney James Harrington says the wrongful jailing never would’ve happened if authorities listened to Seales.
