- A federal lawsuit has been filed against the city of Wyoming,
Michigan , the Wyomingpolice chief, and six officers. - The lawsuit says realtor Eric Brown and his client Roy Thorne suffered emotional distress after police showed up and handcuffed them at a house showing.
A Black real estate agent who was arrested in August while showing a property to a client has filed a lawsuit.
Eric Brown had been showing a home in Wyoming, Michigan to his client, army vet Roy Thorne, and Thorne's 15-year-old son, all of whom are Black. In the middle of the showing, police surrounded the home and drew their guns. All were ordered to come outside, where they were handcuffed and placed into separate vehicles.
Police told them someone had broken into the house weeks earlier and that a neighbor had called to say it was happening again. They said the neighbor thought she recognized their car as the same black Mercedes used by the person who originally broke in.
There was no Mercedes outside the home. Brown and Thorne had driven to the house in a Chevrolet and a Hyundai.
The three on October 1 filed a federal lawsuit in the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan.
The lawsuit names the city of Wyoming, Michigan, the Wyoming police chief, and six officers as defendants.
Using excessive force and unlawful detainment, the six officers violated their civil rights, the complaint says. The plaintiffs' attorney has requested a trial by jury and is asking for "full and fair compensatory damages in an amount to be determined" by the members.
The plaintiffs are also seeking "punitive damages," in an amount yet to be determined.
"The defendants' conduct as described herein was intentional and reckless and was also extreme and outrageous, which caused the plaintiffs to suffer harm in the form of severe emotional distress," the complaint says.
The city of Wyoming did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment but declined to comment on the pending lawsuit when reached by CNN.