Woman Gets $300,000 in State Trooper Lawsuit

A Milton woman has been awarded $300,000 in damages after a jury decided that a state trooper used excessive force on her during a 2007 traffic stop.

Last week, a federal jury found that the trooper, R. Bradford Porter had probable cause to arrested Beth Shea but used excessive force and engaged in malicious prosecution when she was accused of reckless driving, speeding, resisting arrest, and using her vehicle as a deadly weapon according to the Boston Globe.

In June 2007, Shea was stopped by Bradford in Milton. Bradford, who was not in uniform, pulled Shea out of the car and attacked her after she said she did not believe that he was a police officer according to court records.

The trooper’s attorney, Joseph P. Kittredge said that his client may appeal the decision, claiming that Shea almost crashed her car into a woman prior to the incident.