In a landmark ruling, a St. Louis judge has awarded nearly $23.5 million to Luther Hall, a former police officer who was brutally assaulted by his colleagues while working undercover during a protest in 2017. This decision comes as a significant development in a case that has drawn national attention to issues of police brutality and misconduct.
Hall was severely injured during the protests that erupted following the acquittal of Jason Stockley, a former St. Louis officer, on a murder charge related to the shooting death of a Black man. The attack on Hall was carried out by three of his fellow officers — Randy Hays, Dustin Boone, and Christopher Myers.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Hays, who is currently serving time in prison for a civil rights violation, did not respond to the lawsuit. As a result, a judge issued a default judgment in Hall's favor in February. The claims against Boone and Myers are still pending.
During the court hearing, Hall detailed the severe physical and emotional trauma he suffered as a result of the attack. He sustained multiple herniated discs and a jaw injury that rendered him unable to eat. He also developed gallstones that led to complications and required surgeries.
Circuit Judge Joseph Whyte, in his remarks, noted, “Mr. Hall had to endure this severe beating and while that was happening, he knew it was being administered by his colleagues who were sworn to serve and protect.”
Hays, who was sentenced to more than four years in prison in 2021, was not present at the hearing. He is currently under the supervision of the St. Louis Residential Reentry Management Office, which oversees individuals released from prison and serving time on home confinement or in halfway houses. Hays has one year to contest the judgment.
The assault on Hall occurred on Sept. 17, 2017, just days after Stockley was acquitted in the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. Hall was returning to police headquarters when his uniformed colleagues ordered him to the ground and proceeded to beat him.
In 2018, Hays, Boone, Myers, and two other officers, Bailey Colletta and Steven Korte, were indicted in connection with Hall’s injuries. Boone was convicted of a civil rights charge and sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison. Meyers and Colletta received probation, while Korte was acquitted.
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