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Lawsuit over man's death at Michigan jail settles for $1.6M

Posted at 12:11 PM, Jan 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-12 12:11:06-05

The family of a man who died after a 300-pound officer knelt on his back at a suburban Detroit jail has settled a lawsuit for $1.6 million.

Details of the agreement were filed Wednesday in federal court.

Bronislaw Kulpa suffered a heart attack and died while handcuffed in the Macomb County jail in 2011. The 63-year-old was in a detox unit and had resisted efforts to be taken to a medical unit for evaluation.

Video shows Officer John Cantea kneeling on Kulpa's back while other officers watched. An appeals court said a jury "could reasonably find" that Cantea used excessive force.

About $1 million will go to Kulpa's family. The balance will go to Geoffrey Fieger's law firm and another attorney.