Local woman sues LMPD over SWAT team takedown of her home in Okolona
A Louisville grandmother has sued Louisville Metro Police Department after several dozen of them stormed into her home in the southern Louisville suburb of Okolona looking for her son. Sharon Ramage is the mother of Michael Ramage, 32, who police were seeking on an arrest warrant related to alleged child pornography charges. Ramage was accused of taking inappropriate pictures of young men and himself. The charges against him were later dropped entirely.
According to the lawsuit, and LMPD SWAT team of 35 people and a helicopter used a “flash bang” device (an explosive device meant to temporarily blind and deafen people), and a massive battering ram to break into her home. She was then thrown to the floor and had her wrists bound together while a gun was pointed at her. Ramage is 57 years old grandmother and restaurant owner. The lawsuit also alleges that invasion and take down aggravated a prior surgically repaired knee.
The case raises some interesting issues. For example, the suit seeks punitive damages against the police. While claims against the police and other government officials can be very difficult to be successful with due to sovereign immunity issues, the addition of seeking punitive damages will make the case even more difficult. In addition, it appears that Ms. Ramage’s attorney has also filed a motion asking the judge to find, as a matter of law, that she is entitled to win her case without it ever being heard in front of a jury. This is a common tactic for defendants to use in cases, attempting to get courts to throw out cases before they make it to a trial. However, for a plaintiff to attempt this maneuver will be interesting. We’ll try to keep you updated on what happens.
