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Awards in Seattle Police retaliation suit upheld, appeals court rules

Two Seattle Police officers were collectively awarded nearly $3 million in 2016 after they claimed the department retaliated against them for speaking out.
<p>Photo: Taylor Mirfendereski / KING.</p>

A state court of appeals upheld a jury’s ruling that Seattle Police retaliated against two officers.

“Substantial evidence supports the jury’s economic and noneconomic damages awards,” the appeals court wrote in its opinion filed Tuesday. “The awards do not shock the conscience and were not the results of passion or prejudice.”

The court also wrote that the City of Seattle didn’t show that the trial court “abused its discretion” when it denied a new trial.

In July 2016, a King County jury awarded $1.9 million in damages to Sgt. Ella Elias, who is still with Seattle Police, and $932,000 to Captain Dave Proudfoot, who retired in 2017.

Three police officers sued the department, claiming they were retaliated against after speaking out.

Elias says she faced hostility after she complained how lucrative overtime shifts were assigned. Proudfoot and Lt. Steve Strand say they backed her up, and all three were transferred to lower paying positions.

“The city could ask the state Supreme Court to review the case...that's a Hail Mary,” said plaintiffs' attorney Julie Kays. “The court of appeals decision, and the trial court's rulings were solid."

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