COUNCIL PRESIDENT WOODEN'S ASSISTANT FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST CITY OF HARTFORD FOR FALSE ARREST

The City of Hartford was served with a summons for a Civil Lawsuit  by a State Marshall last Thursday. The suit was brought by Council President Shawn Wooden's Administrative Assistant Janice Flemming.The suit stems from Flemming's arrest after an alleged altercation in Blue Hills.

An interesting twist is that Donna Thompson-Daniels is also named as a defendant in the suit. Flemming claims that Daniels made false statements that led to her arrest and lied to the Prosecuting Attorney at the Hartford Court.

Daniels is a candidate for the Hartford Democratic Town Committee in the primary being held tomorrow

The suit is below.

 This suit will most likely present several  interesting issues that Councilman Wooden will have to address. First is Flemming's position as his administrative assistant. Since all settlements over a certain dollar amount must be passed by the Council,  would  Flemming now be in a position to review correspondence from the Corporation Counsel that might be sent to Wooden related to any settlement or legal strategy. Could that information then be used by Flemming to benefit her position on her lawsuit?

Also, I know you go for the person with the deep pockets. In this case it would appear to be the City of Harrtford and HPD. If the plaintiff, Flemming, in this case knows that Daniels allegedly lied to the police. It would appear that the police officer acted in good faith based on the circumstances of the case.

 If Daniels did in fact lie, and in the absence of other witnesses, the officer arrested Flemming based on the facts laid out to him, what else is supposed to happen. No video no witnesses, just Daniels claims to the officer. It happens every day when arrests are made. Police Officers are human and make similar decisions everyday, very few arrests are absolute.

I guess we will see as the suit moves forward. Never a dull moment in Hartford.

Flemming Lawsuit