A Limerick couple’s $100 million lawsuit against Maine State Police officers will move forward.
Justin Savage, of Limerick, suffered numerous injuries after an officer struck him multiple times while he was handcuffed during an encounter in March 2024, the suit alleges.
Savage and his girlfriend, Shawna Morse, who was also detained at the scene, are suing Trooper Jamie Fenderson, Sgt. Adam Schmidt and Detective Anna Ritland, who were involved in the incident. Col. William Ross, their supervising officer, is also named as a defendant.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey previously moved to dismiss numerous counts against the officers. While U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann dismissed some last month, she upheld others. The plaintiffs’ attorneys announced Tuesday that the $100 million lawsuit against the officers will thus move forward.
Jeffrey Bennett, one of the couple’s attorneys at Legal-Ease, said in a written statement that the officers’ actions were “outrageous and unlawful” and pledged they “will be held accountable.”
“The very next step in this case is [to] depose the officers who committed these atrocious acts,” Bennett said. “The facts of this case are captured on video and are shocking.”
According to officer-worn camera footage obtained as part of a Maine Monitor and Bangor Daily News investigation and court documents, the officers were at Savage and Morse’s residence on March 16, 2024, though the couple asserted they hadn’t done anything illegal and were confused by the officers’ presence. Things “escalated,” according to court documents, and Savage was placed in handcuffs.
“Several minutes later,” Schmidt “grabbed [Savage] from behind, lifted him into the air, and threw him headfirst onto the ground,” according to a summary of the allegations included in Neumann’s decision.
Savage was eventually placed in a police vehicle, and in the process Fenderson “struck him in the face, drawing blood.” He was further restrained in the vehicle with a seatbelt, leg bindings and “a mask that covered his entire face,” according to the summary.
Court documents indicate Savage had difficulty breathing either due to the mask, asthma-related issues, or both. He attempted to bring officers’ attention to the matter, who were standing just outside the vehicle.
Savage eventually unbuckled his seat belt and attempted to open the vehicle’s door, and the officers pulled him to the ground. According to court documents, Fenderson then “held [Savage’s] head still with one hand and, with his other hand, repeatedly” punched him in the face up to 13 times.
The lawsuit alleges that the other officers failed to intervene, and states that Savage required reconstructive surgery and suffered other “lasting and permanent internal injuries.”
Morse was also detained at the scene, and the altercation caused her “emotional distress and immediate fear for herself” and Savage, court documents state. The couple have also claimed that officers falsified reports of the incident and disposed of physical evidence, including the mask put over Savage’s head.
Troopers charged Savage with several crimes, including assault, assault on an officer and refusing to submit to arrest, while Morse was charged with refusing to submit to arrest and obstructing government administration. All of the charges against them were eventually dropped.
In her decision, Neumann dismissed the counts against the officers regarding spoliation of evidence, “Because Maine recognizes spoliation only as a remedial doctrine, not an independent cause of action. …” Neumann also dismissed counts of defamation and reputational harm under federal law, but upheld similar counts regarding state law.
The plaintiffs have lodged a series of other allegations against the officers that will move forward as well, including assault, battery, unlawful arrest and excessive use of force.
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Drew Johnson can be reached at djohnson@pressherald.com.