PHOENIX — After receiving a multi-million-dollar settlement, almost all the falsely-charged protesters who collectively sued the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and Phoenix Police Department have dropped out of the lawsuit.
The county agreed to settle its half of the case last December for $6 million.
For the remaining claims against Phoenix, two people now remain in the lawsuit: Ryder Collins and Bruce Franks Jr.
At the beginning of the lawsuit, which was first filed in 2021, there were two dozen plaintiffs who sued police and prosecutors for colluding to falsely charge them during a series of protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.
ABC15’s “Politically Charged” investigation exposed how Phoenix officers and county prosecutors lied to grand juries to obtain the charges.
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Following the news series, more than 40 felony protest cases were dismissed, the city and county admitted to widespread failures with the arrests, and the lead prosecutor was suspended from practicing law for at least two years and may never practice again.
So far, almost five years after the false arrests and charges, no Phoenix police officers have been disciplined for their role.
When asked for an update on the status of any disciplinary actions, a police spokesperson emailed ABC15, “There are multiple investigations involving multiple officers. Since these investigations remain open and active, we cannot provide any additional information at this time.”
Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
