Lawyer, 72, sues after court officers slammed him to floor

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia lawyer has filed a lawsuit because he said he suffered a fractured shoulder after being slammed to the floor by court officers during an argument while trying to get into a courthouse.

Clifford Haines filed suit on Monday and his attorneys posted a video of the arrest from August showing five sheriff’s deputies swarm the 72-year-old after what appears to be an argument near the Philadelphia courthouse’s metal detectors.

His lawyers say the arrest was unprovoked and excessive.

“There is no reason to treat people like that, as if they’re the enemy,” said Haines’ attorney Patricia V. Pierce.

The sheriff’s office did not immediately return a voicemail seeking comment.

Haines approached the deputy because the officer was previously “rude” to him, according to the lawsuit. The confrontation quickly escalated.

The video shows officers rush Haines from all sides. One deputy put him in a headlock from behind and others pushed him onto the metal detector’s belt before he was thrown to the floor.

Haines also sued a sergeant who he said had refused to switch his handcuffs from his back to the front of his body to ease the pain of his dislocated and fractured shoulder, according to the lawsuit.

“It’s just completely unnecessary,” Pierce said.

Haines is a former Philadelphia prosecutor and has served as president of the state’s bar association. He was not criminally charged in the incident.