Source with Camera Footage
"A Livonia man accused of inappropriately touching a waitress at the MGM Grand Detroit casino is suing the city of Detroit, saying a Detroit police officer sucker-punched him twice once when he was down -- in an unprovoked attack this summer.
And he has surveillance video to prove it, he says.
According to court records filed in federal court in Detroit, the incident took place July 30 at the U Me Drink club at the MGM Grand. Patrick Poisson, 38, of Livonia had allegedly inappropriately touched a waitresss buttocks and would not leave the bar, so the casinos security summoned Detroit police for help.
The waitress, referred to in court records as a 5-foot-7-inch, 120-pound "Grandette, told police on a witness statement form that Poisson called her over and touched my butt with his right hand. At the time, records show, she was wearing a black Heineken T-shirt and black shorts
One of the responding officers was Arthur Dudal, who approached Poisson and told him to leave, court records show.
What happened next triggered a fight, and a lawsuit.
Poisson says in his lawsuit that he complied with the officers request to leave, but that as he walked out, Dudal got in his face and threw a roundhouse right-hand punch, striking his nose, and followed with a left hook to the head, knocking him to the ground. As he lay on the ground in the fetal position, he says, Dudal slugged him again, fracturing two ribs.
Two days later, a warrant was issued for Poissons arrest, seeking to charge him with assault and battery on a police officer saying he threw the first punch and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for touching the waitress.
Maria Miller, a spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutors office, said that the sexual conduct and resisting arrest charges were both dropped.
The female victim appeared at the preliminary examination and was placed under oath. She informed the judge that she did not want to prosecute the case, Miller said. The case was adjourned for the prosecution to review the videotape of the incident. After a review of the tape it was determined that we did not have sufficient evidence to proceed and the case was dismissed.
They also dropped the remaining charges after reviewing MGM security video of the incident, records show.
Poisson, meanwhile, is suing the city and two officers for, among other things, malicious prosecution, extreme humiliation and embarrassment.
Poissons lawyer Wolfgang Mueller, who called the incident a blatant and egregious attack on his client, said the casinos security video bolsters his claim.
Anybody who looks at it will see the officer sucker punch my client. He broke his nose, said Mueller.
What especially irks Mueller, he said, is that the police had his client arrested when they were the wrongdoers.
The police flat-out lied to cover up what happened, Mueller said.
They charged my guy with assault on a police officer because the officer hurt his hand when he was punching my client? Thats pretty much how egregious it is.
Detroit police declined comment, citing pending litigation.
A summons was issued in federal court today for the city of Detroit and Dudal to respond to the lawsuit within 21 days.
A third defendant, officer Jose Ortiz, also was named in the lawsuit. He was the officer who filed the warrant request seeking to charge Poisson.
Poisson says that Ortizs version of events is incorrect, and that the surveillance video contradicts what Ortiz wrote in his request seeking charges.
In his request, Ortiz wrote that The defendant turned around and charged at Officer Dudal. The defendant attempted to strike Officer Dudal with his right fist but missed. Officer Dudal defended himself by striking the defendant in the face with his right fist. The defendant charged at Officer Dudal a second time. Officer Dudal, in an attempt to defend himself, struck the defendants face with his left fist. The defendant fell to the ground and was still fighting with Officer Dudal. Officer Dudal and his partner . Handcuffed the defendant as he resisted arrest.
Poissons lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims otherwise. He also denies inappropriately touching the waitress."
------------------------------------------------------
"An eye for an eye, and the whole world would be blind." - Khalil Gibran
"A Livonia man accused of inappropriately touching a waitress at the MGM Grand Detroit casino is suing the city of Detroit, saying a Detroit police officer sucker-punched him twice once when he was down -- in an unprovoked attack this summer.
And he has surveillance video to prove it, he says.
According to court records filed in federal court in Detroit, the incident took place July 30 at the U Me Drink club at the MGM Grand. Patrick Poisson, 38, of Livonia had allegedly inappropriately touched a waitresss buttocks and would not leave the bar, so the casinos security summoned Detroit police for help.
The waitress, referred to in court records as a 5-foot-7-inch, 120-pound "Grandette, told police on a witness statement form that Poisson called her over and touched my butt with his right hand. At the time, records show, she was wearing a black Heineken T-shirt and black shorts
One of the responding officers was Arthur Dudal, who approached Poisson and told him to leave, court records show.
What happened next triggered a fight, and a lawsuit.
Poisson says in his lawsuit that he complied with the officers request to leave, but that as he walked out, Dudal got in his face and threw a roundhouse right-hand punch, striking his nose, and followed with a left hook to the head, knocking him to the ground. As he lay on the ground in the fetal position, he says, Dudal slugged him again, fracturing two ribs.
Two days later, a warrant was issued for Poissons arrest, seeking to charge him with assault and battery on a police officer saying he threw the first punch and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for touching the waitress.
Maria Miller, a spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutors office, said that the sexual conduct and resisting arrest charges were both dropped.
The female victim appeared at the preliminary examination and was placed under oath. She informed the judge that she did not want to prosecute the case, Miller said. The case was adjourned for the prosecution to review the videotape of the incident. After a review of the tape it was determined that we did not have sufficient evidence to proceed and the case was dismissed.
They also dropped the remaining charges after reviewing MGM security video of the incident, records show.
Poisson, meanwhile, is suing the city and two officers for, among other things, malicious prosecution, extreme humiliation and embarrassment.
Poissons lawyer Wolfgang Mueller, who called the incident a blatant and egregious attack on his client, said the casinos security video bolsters his claim.
Anybody who looks at it will see the officer sucker punch my client. He broke his nose, said Mueller.
What especially irks Mueller, he said, is that the police had his client arrested when they were the wrongdoers.
The police flat-out lied to cover up what happened, Mueller said.
They charged my guy with assault on a police officer because the officer hurt his hand when he was punching my client? Thats pretty much how egregious it is.
Detroit police declined comment, citing pending litigation.
A summons was issued in federal court today for the city of Detroit and Dudal to respond to the lawsuit within 21 days.
A third defendant, officer Jose Ortiz, also was named in the lawsuit. He was the officer who filed the warrant request seeking to charge Poisson.
Poisson says that Ortizs version of events is incorrect, and that the surveillance video contradicts what Ortiz wrote in his request seeking charges.
In his request, Ortiz wrote that The defendant turned around and charged at Officer Dudal. The defendant attempted to strike Officer Dudal with his right fist but missed. Officer Dudal defended himself by striking the defendant in the face with his right fist. The defendant charged at Officer Dudal a second time. Officer Dudal, in an attempt to defend himself, struck the defendants face with his left fist. The defendant fell to the ground and was still fighting with Officer Dudal. Officer Dudal and his partner . Handcuffed the defendant as he resisted arrest.
Poissons lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims otherwise. He also denies inappropriately touching the waitress."
------------------------------------------------------
"An eye for an eye, and the whole world would be blind." - Khalil Gibran