Fernando Rodriquez was naked and unarmed when he was killed by police officers from the City of Hampton and Henry County, Georgia in 2019. Fernando was repeatedly tazed and eventually suffocated by the officers despite the fact that posed no threat to anyone.
On behalf of Fernando and his family, our firm filed a Section 1983 federal civil rights lawsuit against the officers and their employers – Henry County and the City of Hampton. The City of Hampton recently agreed to settle the case by paying Fernando’s surviving family members $3 million. While that amount in no way adequately reflect the value of Fernando’s life, it will allow them to continue to fight for justice in this case. Our lawsuit against Henry County and its officers remains pending, and it appears there is also a criminal investigation into the officers’ conduct that may result in formal charges later this year.
In the AJC article about the settlement, Page Pate discussed the case and the settlement. Fernando Octavio Rodriguez was a twenty-four year old young man who died after an encounter with the Henry County Police Department and the City of Hampton Police Department, after attending a music festival at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mr. Rodriguez was tased by officers 16 times while laying on the ground, and later died after at least one of the officers involved used what we believe was an inappropriate physical restraint, much like what was used against George Floyd in Minnesota.
Page explained that the family of Mr. Rodriguez has “accepted a $3 million settlement for their claims against the city of Hampton and its police officers Gregory Bowlden, Mason Lewis and Marcus Stroud,” and that “This settlement resolves the case brought by our firm on behalf of Mr. Rodriguez’s family against the city and its officers.” Page also notes that Mr. Rodriguez’s family is still pursuing legal action against Henry County and two Henry police officers, Robert Butera and Quinton Phillips, who were also involved in the incident.
