JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A wrongful death lawsuit brought against the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office by the family of a man who was struck and killed in 2017 by a now-former officer has been moved to federal court.
The lawsuit, which was filed Monday by an attorney representing the family of Blane Land, is seeking damages exceeding $15,000 from the Sheriff’s Office and former Officer Timothy James, according to federal court records.
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Land, 62, was walking across University Boulevard on May 10, 2017, when he was struck by a patrol car driven by James. The complaint states that James was responding to a call for service but didn’t have his vehicle’s lights or siren switched on.
RELATED: Family of man hit, killed suing JSO, ex-officer for ‘wrongful death’
Among other things, the suit accuses JSO of giving the public misinformation following the crash, which attorneys contend painted Land in a negative light. The initial police briefing suggested that Land might have been suicidal and mistook him for another person who crossed the street seconds before him.
The lawsuit said the initial police statement contained false information, which JSO has yet to retract.
“Said false story was spread by Defendants, JSO and Officer James, and their representatives in order to hinder prosecution or otherwise effectuate any liability, discipline or charges against itself,” the lawsuit states in part.
Attorney John Phillips, who represents Land’s estate, has said video from the scene refutes JSO’s version of events. The footage shows a man crossing University Boulevard shortly before Land. Then it shows a second man, Land, entering the street and getting struck by James’ patrol car.
James, who was not charged in the crash, resigned as part of a plea deal stemming from a separate case in which he was accused of beating a handcuffed teen. That case resulted in James’ arrest, but the State Attorney’s Office dropped charges against him in 2018.
The lawsuit named James as a defendant, saying he showed a consistent pattern of misconduct.
The complaint cites a series of incidents throughout his career, including a 2016 Pearl Jam concert in which James was accused of throwing someone to the ground and the 2017 incident in which he was accused of hitting 17-year-old Elias Campos as Campos, another Phillips client, sat handcuffed in the back seat of a patrol car.
Besides those incidents and others, the suit also references James’ social media posts, which attorneys argue contained threats to city residents. One such post, published in February 2016, stated: “Yep it’s that kinda night already. Someone’s getting a size 13 boot to the (expletive) tonight.”
The complaint accuses JSO of keeping James on the payroll despite his behavior, and that the agency should have known his actions and decisions were likely to result in “great bodily harm or death.”