Amended lawsuit filed by Water Valley man now asking for $5 million

Published 2:35 pm Thursday, February 20, 2020

After filing a lawsuit asking for an unspecified amount in damages, a Water Valley man who claims he was “brutally beaten” by law enforcement officers has now decided on a figure.

Davidtron Logan, who is represented by attorney Carlos Moore, is asking for $5 million in damages according to an amended lawsuit filed by Moore on Tuesday.

The original lawsuit was filed on Feb. 11 by Moore against Yalobusha County, former Yalobusha County sheriff W.F. ‘Lance’ Humphreys, the City of Water Valley, Water Valley police chief M.W. King along with unnamed deputies and officers and jail employees labeled John Does 1 through 6.

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In the amended lawsuit, Water Valley police officer Tommy West is now specifically named as a defendant. There are no specific allegations against West in the amended lawsuit beyond being added as a defendant.

The amended suit is asking for $4 million more than was originally mentioned in a Notice of Claim filed by Moore, an attorney with The Cochran Firm-Mississippi Delta division, on July 31, which asked for $1 million in damages.

“What happened to Mr. Logan was unconscionable in a civilized society and I plan to fight with every fiber in my body to get him justice,” Moore told the EAGLE on Feb. 14.

Documents claim that during a road block in Water Valley on July 18 of last year, Logan was approached by law enforcement officials of Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department and Water Valley Police Department. He was asked to pull over to the side of the road when it was discovered Logan’s driver’s license was suspended.

It was then the “John Does brutally attacked Mr. Logan, beating him with their flashlights, pushing, choking, punching and striking him all while Mr. Logan was unarmed and detained in handcuffs,” according to the lawsuit.

The documents continue to claim Logan was taken to the Water Valley Police Department, where he continued to be “brutalized more with the use of tasers.” Logan was eventually transported to the hospital for medical treatment, but not until after he was “severely beaten,” according to the lawsuit.

Moore’s lawsuit states that during the course of Logan’s attack and “unconstitutional assault,” no deputy or officer intervened on his client’s behalf to stop the attack. The lawsuit claims the actions taken are the results of the policies of the sheriff’s department and police department, and are violations of federal laws, state law negligence and intentional torts filed by the plaintiff.

Two days after the Notice of Claims was filed, Humphreys spoke to the EAGLE and disputed the claims made by Moore on behalf of Logan.

“I can tell you what (Moore’s) saying is not the truth,” Humphreys said. “When he got to the checkpoint, Mr. Logan told the deputies he didn’t have a driver’s license. So, they told him to go ahead and get out of the vehicle. The deputy who found the narcotics walked up and said ‘I found this,’ and at that point Logan took off running.”

After being taken to Baptist Hospital-North Mississippi in Oxford, Logan was rushed to a hospital in Memphis. Moore claimed his client sustained three fractures to his eye and would have “double vision for the rest of his life.”

“As a result, Mr. Logan suffered serious injuries, pain and suffering, fear of impending death, and loss of enjoyment of life,” the lawsuit read.

The amended lawsuit is still demanding a jury trial.

Moore also represents the family of Dominique Clayton, who was found murdered in her home last May. He filed a Notice of Claim against the City of Oxford and the Oxford Police Department last June asking for $5 million. According to Moore, there is no update regarding a potential lawsuit being filed on behalf of the Clayton family.