\u00a0<\/b>A Grand Rapids lawsuit brought by Johann Deffert made national headlines and brings into question Michigan\u2019s open carry laws and law enforcement\u2019s conduct in handling situations where individuals are open carrying.<\/p>\n
Johann Deffert v. Officer William Moe, et al.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
On December 20, 2013 Deffert brought a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan against: three officer\u2019s involved in his detainment; Kevin Belk, the Chief of Police for the Grand Rapids Police Department; and the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Deffert\u2019s Amended Complaint filed on February 24, 2014 includes the following six counts:<\/p>\n
Count I \u2013 Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment Violations;\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Count II \u2013 Second and Fourteenth Amendment Violations;\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Count III \u2013 First and Fourteenth Amendment Violations;\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Count IV \u2013 Michigan Constitution Article 1 Section 6 Claim;\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Count V \u2013 State Law Assault and Battery; and,\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Count VI \u2013 State Law False Imprisonment.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Also included in the complaint is the plaintiff\u2019s Request for Relief which asks for $100,000, and an additional $500,000 in punitive damages.<\/p>\n The lawsuit is current scheduled for Case Evaluation to be held on July 9, 2014.<\/p>\n What is Case Evaluation?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Case evaluation in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan provides litigants an alternative dispute resolution process similar to the case evaluation method that is used in the state courts of Michigan. (Mich Comp. Laws \u00a7\u00a7 600.4951-.4969; Mich. Ct. R. 2.403.)<\/p>\n