Attorneys David Brown and Scott Kirk of Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner PLLC have secured a $2.25 million jury verdict against the City of Bellingham for its negligent handling of domestic violence reports involving former Bellingham Police Corporal Brooks Owen Laughlin.
Following a two-week trial, a Whatcom County jury found the City liable for failing to act after being notified of suspected domestic abuse by Laughlin, resulting in lasting harm to his ex-wife, Amanda DeBruin, and his children. The jury ordered the City to pay a total of $2.25 million in damages to the victims.
Jury Finds Police Department Negligent in Protecting Domestic Violence Victims
Nearly eight years after Laughlin’s criminal conviction for domestic violence-related offenses, DeBruin, along with Laughlin’s three children, prevailed in their civil suit alleging that the Bellingham Police Department failed to intervene despite warnings from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
The plaintiffs, represented by Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner, filed suit in 2020, arguing that the department knew Laughlin posed a physical threat to his family but failed to take reasonable steps to protect them. The jury agreed that the City’s inaction was a proximate cause of the harm suffered by DeBruin and Laughlin’s children.
DeBruin was awarded $1.5 million in damages, while Laughlin’s three children were awarded $250,000 each. The jury found the City was not the proximate cause of damages suffered by Laughlin’s other ex-wife and mother of the children, Kyla Lanham.
During the trial, DeBruin described years of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of Laughlin, including controlling behavior, threats, and physical assaults. She testified that Laughlin used to make her check in with him constantly, share her location, and ask permission to go out in public without him present. She said she was expected to stay up until Laughlin returned from his late shifts in the middle of the night, and he would often force her to have sex with him. DeBruin said she was expected to wake up before him to clean the house and prepare breakfast. She couldn’t say ‘no’ to something he wanted her to do.
While training as a deputy with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office in 2017, DeBruin’s colleagues noticed bruising on her face. They reported their concerns to the Bellingham Police Department, where Laughlin was employed, but the department took no action.
DeBruin testified that the abuse profoundly affected her mental health, family relationships, and sense of safety. “I’m just really grateful the jury saw the part that the Bellingham Police Department took in what happened,” DeBruin said after the verdict.
Finding the City negligent demonstrates that individual perpetrators are not the only ones who can be held responsible for domestic abuse. This verdict sends a clear message that no one, not even a law enforcement officer or the departments that employ them, is above the law.
About Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner PLLC
Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner PLLC is one of Washington State’s leading personal injury and wrongful death law firms, representing victims of negligence throughout the Pacific Northwest. The firm’s experienced personal injury attorneys are dedicated to holding individuals, corporations, and government entities accountable for wrongdoing and fighting to secure justice for their clients.
Resources:
- The Bellingham Herald, Jury finds city of Bellingham responsible for damages in handling of former officer’s abuse, link.
- Cascadia Daily News, City of Bellingham must pay $2.25M to families of disgraced former police officer, link.
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Media Contact
Matt Conner
Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner PLLC
200 W Chestnut St, Bellingham, WA 98225
