The Oregon Civil Court system has been plagued by a lack of settlement funds for nearly a decade.
The court has only agreed to settle a few cases, including the Oregon Health & Science University case, and only to dismiss one.
But last month, a judge in Multnomah County dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Eugene for not paying for the costs of a traffic stop in January 2016, despite the fact that a federal judge had ordered the city to pay $2,700 in damages for damages to the city and property.
That settlement was the largest in Oregon history, according to Oregon’s Office of Justice Programs.
That decision means that the city has until March 15 to pay the $1.3 million in damages to settle the case.
The case came to light last fall when a Multnoman man, who did not want to be identified, was driving with a court date scheduled for December 15.
The police officer pulled him over, and after a brief struggle, the officer allegedly forced him into a car.
During the arrest, the man suffered severe head trauma and lost vision in one eye.
The officer also suffered a concussion.
The man sued the city, the police department, and the Eugene Police Department for violating his civil rights, including refusing to use a body camera and failing to comply with court orders to arrest him on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.
The Eugene City Council last month approved a settlement of the case, which was settled in December, with the city agreeing to pay approximately $1,100 for medical expenses and $500 for the plaintiff to have his driver’s license reinstated.
The Portland city also agreed to pay out $100 to a Multan man who sued for the right to keep his driver license and insurance.
The city agreed to also pay a $250 fine to the man and another $200 to the Multan city council, according a city spokesperson.
The money will go toward repairing a window that was broken when the man was arrested, according the spokesperson.
The settlement was announced by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Greg Stanton, both of whom were in the city council chambers.
The city has yet to respond to a request for comment.–Follow David DeYoung on Twitter: @deyoungdc