$2 Million Settlement In Mayfield Wrongful Arrest Suit (Challenge Patriot Act)

KOIN News ^ | 11/29/2006 | AP

[momfirst]

PORTLAND - Oregon attorney Brandon Mayfield, who was wrongly accused in the 2004 Madrid terrorist train bombings, has settled his lawsuit against the federal government for $2 million in damages.

The lawsuit said Mayfield was wrongly arrested on the basis of misidentified fingerprints. Mayfield, a convert to Islam, said he was arrested because of his faith. Mayfield was held for two weeks in 2004.

Attorney Elden Rosenthal confirmed the settlement Wednesday and plans to hold a news conference with Mayfield in Portland in the afternoon. Mayfield is still challenging the Patriot Act. The FBI in Portland did not immediately return calls to The Associated Press.

Mayfield's attorneys released a statement Wednesday morning:

PRESS RELEASE and ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRESS CONFERENCE

Mayfield Settles Damages Suit Against Federal Government Reserving the Right to Pursue Claim that Patriot Act is Unconstitutional

Press Conference: Wednesday, November 29th, at 1:30 pm Location: 1001 S.W. 5th Ave., Suite 1650 Portland, Oregon

Brandon Mayfield, the Oregon attorney wrongfully arrested by the FBI in connection with the 2004 Madrid terrorist bombings, announced today that he and his family have settled their lawsuit against the United States, the U.S. Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, the FBI, and certain federal agents, for the sum of $2,000,000.

Represented by nationally-known trial lawyer Gerry Spence, Portland, Oregon civil rights and trial lawyer Elden Rosenthal, and Newport, Oregon trial lawyer Michele Longo Eder, the lawsuit alleged that even after the FBI was told by the Spanish National Police that the FBI fingerprint identification of Mr. Mayfield was wrong, the U.S. Government ignored the Spanish National Police, continued to pursue their surreptitious investigation and arrest of Mr. Mayfield, and, after taking Mr. Mayfield into custody, threatened Mr. Mayfield with the filing of charges that carried the death penalty....

[momfirst]

*sigh*

[momfirst]

I'm sure this will be all over the news this evening - but thought you'd like to ping the Oregonians....

[middie]

Damn good for him...The feds acted irrationally, precipitously and, even when it was apparent that the fingerprints had been FUBAR, they continued to assert that they had the right guy notwithstanding the lack of any evidence at all that would satisfy a grand jury or judge. When the government acts this way they should shoulder the liability and responsibility for the wrong they caused to occur. Once we begin to assume the public posture that the government can do no wrong we'll be on the road of willing submission to totalitarian governance.

[Cicero]

I think the problem is that we need to protect ourselves against terrorists, but that the people running our airline security, the FBI, and others who are involved are often seemingly incompetent.

Bush has done relatively little to clean these agencies out, and he put a token Democrat in charge of transportation and let the whole thing be brought under the federal government unions.

[Salvation]

Oregon Ping

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Oregon Ping List.

[bybybill]

Is this Bush`s fault Too?

[Cicero]

The problems in the FBI were mostly clinton's fault. But the longer Bush is in office without attempting to do anything about it, the more it does, indeed, become his fault. Mueller has been a lousy FBI director.

[Clinging Bitterly]

Mayfield has known ties to terrorists. It appears there was a mistake in flagging him as the owner of fingerprints found on Madrid bombing paraphernalia, but I am not convinced he is completely innocent.

[dljordan]

"The feds acted irrationally, precipitously and, even when it was apparent that the fingerprints had been FUBAR, they continued to assert that they had the right guy notwithstanding the lack of any evidence at all that would satisfy a grand jury or judge."

They tend to do that when they get the bit between their teeth. It's like they just can't quit and if they keep trying the "person of interest" will suddenly turn into someone who's quilty. Remember the fat rent-a-cop they grabbed during the Olympics in Atlanta and were announcing to everyone who would listen that they guy was some kind of crazy bomber? They made that guys life hell.

They do good work but they just can't seem to ever believe they're wrong.