Civil rights lawyer files suit against sheriff over his own arrest
A Florida lawyer known for his civil rights work has filed a federal lawsuit over his own 2013 arrest.
Gary Kollin, who is in his 50s, says he was visiting an acquaintance in Parkland when the woman decided she wanted her sister, who was visiting for a few days, to leave. Kollin called the Broward Sheriff’s Department for help getting the sister to leave, the suit explains, but then one of the deputies who responded said the only option to force her to depart was an eviction action, the Broward-Palm Beach New Times reports.
After Kollin challenged the deputy’s interpretation of the law, the deputy looked into Kollin’s vehicle with a flashlight.
The suit says Kollin offered the deputy his car keys, saying he had nothing to hide, to which the deputy allegedly responded: “Are you trying me?”
At that point, according to Kollin, he pocketed his keys and held his hands out, telling the deputy: “Arrest me if you think I did anything wrong.”
Although the deputy didn’t immediately do so, he did after a few more comments tell Kollin to go inside the house. But as the attorney tried to comply, the deputy, changing his mind, told Kollin to stay where he was, the suit recounts.
“First you say go inside, then you say don’t go inside,” Kollin said. At that point, the suit says the deputy arrested him for obstructing justice. The attorney was released later the same night.
His suit seeks damages for false arrest and/or false imprisonment.
The sheriff’s department declined to comment when contacted by the newspaper, and the deputy whose conduct is at issue could not be reached for comment.
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