Pittsburgh poised to settle with Jordan Miles over police beating for $125K

Pittsburgh City Council will consider paying $125,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a Homewood man who accused city police of using excessive force during a 2010 arrest.

Council members are scheduled to introduce legislation Tuesday that would end a long-running legal battle between the city and Jordan Miles, 24.

Downtown attorney Joel Sansone, who represents Miles, said his client decided to end the litigation that has dragged out over six years. Miles, who was 18 at the time of his arrest, works as a manager in a retail business that Sansone declined to identify. He was unavailable for comment.

“It's time for Jordan to start the next phase of his life and put this phase of his life behind him,” Sansone said. “Jordan has decided to resolve the case and to look forward to a very bright future.”

Tim McNulty, spokesman for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, said the city and Miles' attorneys reached the settlement during federal mediation. He said it includes $119,016 in damages awarded by a federal jury in March 2014, plus attorney fees.

“The city offered $125,000, and Miles' attorneys accepted it,” McNulty said.

Pittsburgh in 2011 offered $180,000 to settle the suit.

The Miles case triggered protests and criticism of the police. Some city residents accused the department of racial bias.

Miles, who is black, claimed three white officers — Michael Saldutte, David Sisak and Richard Ewing — lacked probable cause to arrest him when they stopped him on Jan. 12, 2010, on Tioga Street in Homewood.

Miles accused the officers of beating him when they subdued and handcuffed him after he ran from them.

The officers said his injuries resulted from a violent struggle to escape apprehension.

Photos of Miles' swollen face released after the arrest galvanized an outcry against the police bureau.

Miles sued twice in federal court, claiming the officers lacked cause to arrest him and used excessive force. The first trial ended in a hung jury.

A second jury agreed that the officers lacked probable cause but rejected the excessive force claim. The jury awarded Miles $119,016.

Miles appealed to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that U.S. District Judge David Cercone erred by prohibiting a witness, who surfaced after the trial began, from testifying.

Bob Bauder is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-765-2312 or bbauder@tribweb.com.