James Perry
James Franklin Perry, 41, was a father whose son is now a high school junior planning to attend college, and his mother and grandmother still live in the Milwaukee area. In 2010 he had a seizure while in Milwaukee police custody and was taken to the Milwaukee County Jail, where he died in its pre-booking area after a nurse called an ambulance, according to Chris Katers, attorney for his estate. Attorney James Gende said Perry was violently restrained by law enforcement after suffering seizures, and Katers said the seizure left him injured at a police lockup. In March 2019, two days into a jury trial, the City of Milwaukee agreed to pay $2.3 million to settle the estate's federal lawsuit.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed). Attorney James Gende says law enforcement violently restrained him after he suffered seizures, while Chris Katers, attorney for his estate, attributes the death to an epileptic seizure, and the City of Milwaukee paid $2.3 million in 2019 to settle the estate's federal lawsuit.
Reported by: James Gende (family or their lawyers); Chris Katers, attorney for Perry's estate (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His estate sued in federal court and the City of Milwaukee agreed to pay $2.3 million in March 2019, two days into a jury trial.