Hagans v. Franklin Cnty Sheriff's Office, No. 11-3648 (6th Cir. 2012)
Annotate this CaseHagans, a middle-aged man under the influence of crack cocaine, became paranoid and went into a rage in his yard. He refused to allow police to subdue him. Officer, Ratcliff applied his taser in drive-stun mode, directly against Hagans’ upper back. Hagans, reached back and tried to grab the taser. Ratcliff applied the taser again, to no effect, then tried, unsuccessfully to use the taser in dart mode. Ratcliff tased Hagans two to four more times in drive-stun mode, then joined two other officers in trying to subdue Hagans. The officers finally secured Hagans’ wrists and legs. A medical squad arrived. Alert at the time, Hagans lost consciousness and stopped breathing about ten minutes later. Paramedics administered CPR in the ambulance, restoring Hagans’ pulse and respiration. Hagans never regained consciousness. He died three days later. The coroner found that the cocaine starved his brain of oxygen, leading to fatal respiratory complications. The report listed hardening of the arteries in the heart as “a contributing factor.” Hagans’ estate filed suit, alleging excessive force. The district court denied Ratcliff’s motion for summary judgment on qualified immunity. The Sixth Circuit reversed, holding that Ratcliff did not violate a clearly established right.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.