Prince George's County v. Longtin
Annotate this CaseAt issue on review by the Supreme Court is the extent to which the Local Government Tort Claims Act limits the recovery of a man whose constitutional rights were violated by acts of a local police force. Respondent Keith Longtin was arrested, interrogated for over 36 hours, and charged with the rape and murder of his wife. He was held in prison for over eight months. During his stay, the police department obtained exculpatory evidence, but failed to inform Respondent or to release him. Only when the police confirmed through a DNA match that the crime was committed by the another suspect did it release Respondent from prison. Respondent sued the police, the County and individual officers, and obtained a jury verdict of $6.2 million. The County appealed and the Court of Special Appeals affirmed the verdict. The Supreme Court granted certiorari to address, among other issues, the County’s primary argument on appeal: whether Respondent’s claim and verdict complied with the state Local Government Tort Claims Act (LGTCA). On review, the Supreme Court upheld the lower courts’ decisions, finding that neither the notice provisions nor the damages cap of the LGTCA apply to limit the claim or the jury award in this case.
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