Lawsuit over man's death at jail settles for $1.6M

MOUNT CLEMENS (AP) — The family of a man who died after a 300-pound officer knelt on his back at a suburban Detroit jail has settled a lawsuit for $1.6 million.

Details of the agreement were filed last Wednesday in federal court.

Bronislaw Kulpa suffered a heart attack and died while handcuffed in the Macomb County jail in 2011. The 63-year-old was in a detox unit and had resisted efforts to be taken to a medical unit for evaluation.

Video shows Officer John Cantea kneeling on Kulpa’s back while other officers watched. An appeals court said a jury “could reasonably find” that Cantea used excessive force.

About $1 million will go to Kulpa’s family. The balance will go to Geoffrey Fieger’s law firm and another attorney.

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