Prominent trial lawyer and civil rights attorney Ben Crump will represent Christopher Shaw after he was allegedly paralyzed by Beaumont Police Officer James Thomas Gillen while still handcuffed in custody.
In the lawsuit filed against Gillen, the City of Beaumont, and CorrHealth, LLC, Shaw claims he was handcuffed and restrained by deputies at the Jefferson County jail when he was then "body slammed" by Gillen onto the jail's concrete floor. Shaw broke his neck as a result of the attack.Shaw claims his pleas for help from CorrHealth medical personnel at the jail were disregarded as he was left on the floor in his cell, unable to move and in a pool of urine and feces, officials say.
Recently, Crump represented Randy Cox, a 36-year-old Black man who became paralyzed while in the back of a police van, handcuffed and without a seatbelt in New Haven, Connecticut.Earlier this month, the City of New Haven settled the lawsuit for $45 million.