Professor Jenny Carroll weighed in on the acquittal of a north Alabama police officer who was accused of using excessive force on an Indian man.
Federal prosecutors failed to prove Eric Parker willfully violated the rights of Sureshbhai Patel when he slammed him to the ground during a suspicious person investigation in a Huntsville suburb, according to the Associated Press.
“That burden of proof is higher than in a civil case, so it’s entirely possible for someone to be acquitted in a criminal matter, but be found civilly liable,” said Carroll, whose specialties include criminal defense and criminal procedure.
For more, read “Officer’s Civil, State Cases Loom after Federal Acquittal.”