Vermont town pays $215,000 to settle lawsuit accusing officer of excessive force

Vermont’s largest city, Burlington, has paid $215,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing a police officer of using excessive force in grabbing a man and knocking him to the ground, knocking him unconscious in September 2018.

According to the federal lawsuit filed in 2019, Mabior Jok was sitting outside with a group when a conversation became heated. Officer Joseph Corrow, without announcing himself or giving instructions, then tackled Jok to the ground, the lawsuit states.

The police chief at the time said an internal investigation found Corrow did not call for backup or use verbal commands, but did not use excessive force, according to a court filing. He also said Jok was known to officers “as someone who has a violent history of attacking the community and police officers.”

The settlement was reached in late August, about a week before a trial was scheduled to begin, said Jok’s attorney, Robb Spensley, who called it a reasonable settlement. It was first reported by Seven Days.

“I would add that this settlement is life-changing money for my client, who has been homeless on and off for years,” Spensley said by email Thursday.

The city’s insurance company paid $140,000 and the city paid $75,000, according to Joe Magee, deputy chief of staff at City Hall.

The city recognizes that the case has been litigated for a long time and is pleased to have reached a resolution, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said in a statement Thursday.

“We hope that the resolution of the case provides some measure of relief for Mr. Jok,” she said. “We also recognize that the city must approach every use-of-force situation as an opportunity to review what happened and ensure that our police department’s training, practices and policies emphasize de-escalation, minimum use of force and effective communication.”

Last year, the city agreed to pay $750,000 to settle another excessive force lawsuit accusing police of brutality against another black man also in September 2018.

The lawsuit said Officer Jason Bellavance approached two men who were arguing outside a bar and, without announcing his presence, pushed Jeremie Meli with both hands. Meli fell backwards, hit his head against a wall and was knocked down.

Bellavance was suspended following an internal investigation, and in 2020 he left the department in a separation agreement with the city. That came amid protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Protesters in Burlington called for the firing of three officers, including Bellavance.

In another 2019 case, a man died two days after being hit in the head by a Burlington police officer. A federal judge in 2021 approved a $45,000 settlement of a lawsuit filed by Doug Kilburn’s family.

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