From the Houston Chronicle: Houston City Council to vote on $1.7M for lawsuit against city, Art Acevedo over fatal drug raid

There's lots going on here. 

At root, this is now a civil rights case filed in federal court against the city of Houston and the man who was police chief when the event in question occurred. 

It ties into a variety of terms and concepts throughout the 2305 and 2306 text.

The basic question posed seems to be whether a city can be held liable for the actions of police officers engaged in behavior that violates the civil rights - in this case the right to not get killed - of others.

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Houston City Council will vote Wednesday to put another $1.7 million toward fighting a lawsuit against the city and former Police Chief Art Acevedo in a drug raid gone wrong.

The lawsuit was originally brought forth January 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern Division of Texas by Clifford Tuttle Jr., the uncle of Dennis Tuttle.

Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena “Reggie” Nicholas, were killed in a 2019 drug raid led by former Houston police officer Gerald Goines.

Goines said he had bought heroin at Dennis Tuttle and Nicholas’ Houston home through an undercover informant. Acevedo later said that was a lie, and that Goines never got drugs from the home.

Lawyers for Clifford Tuttle Jr. claim the raid violated Dennis Tuttle and Nicholas’ civil rights, according to the initial court filing.

“This untethered operation and its deadly conduct giving rise to this case is shocking, but it was sadly predictable and preventable,” the 2021 filing reads. “The people of the City of Houston deserve better. Dennis and Reggie deserved better. Now Dennis and Reggie deserve justice, as do their grieving families.”

The council will vote Wednesday to increase the cost of the legal services contract between the city and Houston-based firm Beck Redden LLP. The original cost of services was more than $1.2 million, according to a city council agenda note. If the council approves the extra funding, it will increase the cost of defending the lawsuit to more than $2.9 million.

Terminology: 

City Council
lawsuit
Police Chief
drug raid
U.S. District Court
Southern Division of Texas
police officer
undercover informant
Lawyers
civil rights
court filing
city council agenda
funding
litigation
dismiss the case
trial
legal fees
City Attorney
rogue officers
liability