
Judgments entered against city, Casper officer; assaulted woman receives $155,000
CASPER, Wyo. — A federal judge has entered judgments totaling $155,000 against a Casper police officer for his brutality when he arrested a woman and against the city of Casper for a pattern of constitutional violations by police.
Adrianah Rodriguez filed the civil rights lawsuit against officers Michael Quirin and Ryan Lowry and the city in December 2023, claiming Quirin “brutally and illegally assaulted her in January 2020,” according to the press release on Tuesday from attorneys Darold Killmer, Reid Allison and Madison Lips of the Denver firm of Killmer Lane LLP. Killmer is a Casper native.
“The night I was assaulted by Officer Quirin was the most terrifying experience of my life,” Rodriguez said in the press release.
“One of my most important goals in this case was to hold the police and the City accountable for their brutality and misconduct,” Rodriguez said. “I hope they have learned a lesson, and that they will not do this to people in the future.”
U.S. District Court Judge Kelly Rankin presided in the case, during which Quirin agreed to pay Rodriguez $100,000 plus $30,000 for attorneys’ fees. Casper agreed to pay Rodriguez $25,000 to dismiss her claims.
Quirin himself did not pay the $130,000, Killmer said. Rather, that money came from the State of Wyoming’s Auditor’s Office, he said. “This is just taxpayers who footed the bill.”
Quirin, through Wyoming Senior Assistant Attorney General Timothy Miller, wrote this in his May 9, 2024, offer of judgment: “This offer of judgment is not to be construed as an admission of liability or the existence of damages by Quirin. By this offer of judgment, Quirin seeks only to compromise disputed claims. Quirin denies liability and damages in this matter.”
The City of Casper’s $25,000 share, Killmer said, was covered by the Wyoming Association of Risk Management — the self-insurance program of the state and local governments.
Killmer said Tuesday that he and the other attorneys unsuccessfully tried to reach a settlement with the city, Quirin and officer Ryan Lowry. After that effort failed, they filed the lawsuit on Dec. 14, 2023. The attorneys later dismissed Lowry as a defendant.
Rodriguez filed three claims for relief: a Fourth Amendment violation of excessive force, against all defendants; a Fourth Amendment violation of unlawful arrest, against Quirin and Casper; and a First Amendment violation of retaliation, against Quirin and Casper.
She sought declaratory relief, economic damages, compensatory damages, punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest and attorney’s fees, as well as other relief.
The case started in the early morning hours of Jan. 5, 2020, when Rodriguez was at a small party at a friend’s apartment. They hadn’t been there long when officers Quirin and Lowry arrived in response to a call about a noise complaint.
“While walking up the steps to the apartment, Officer Quirin remarked to Officer Lowry, ‘It’s not that loud,'” according to the lawsuit. “He was right.”
Even so, the officers barged into the apartment without consent, with apparent urgency, without a search or arrest warrant and without legal basis, according to the lawsuit.
Those in the apartment were bewildered but complied with the officers.
Rodriguez, a 120-pound, 5-foot-3 Black/Latina woman, volunteered her identification to Quirin and told him he was “mistreating people” and said, “I know my rights.” Quirin responded, “Ma’am, would you like to be quiet or would you like to be in custody?” according to the lawsuit.
Rodriguez put her hand holding her ID behind her back and declined.
Fifteen seconds later, Quirin took her to the floor and “violently grabbed her and inflicted unnecessary and excessive physical force upon her,” according to the lawsuit.
Rodriguez, terrified at this aggressive conduct, tried to curl into a ball to protect herself. Quirin placed his entire body weight on her and wedged his knee into the back of her neck. Neither he nor Lowry made any effort to de-escalate the situation, which worsened.
During the incident, Rodriguez had a panic attack and repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.”
Later, Quirin lied in his police report that Rodriguez “refused” to move away from the others and that she screamed obscenities at him, according to the lawsuit. “Witnesses described Quirin “throwing [Ms. Rodriguez] around like a rag doll.”
Lowry, alarmed by Quirin’s disproportionate use of force, said “Quirin, Quirin,” a few times but did nothing more to stop him.
Meanwhile, Sgt. Marcus Maton arrived, and he and Quirin took Rodriguez outside. Quirin initially didn’t know what to tell Maton that he would charge her with, and eventually said, “probably interference.”
Rodriguez was booked into the Natrona County Detention Center.
The next day, a Natrona County Circuit Court judge dismissed the case against her, according to the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Rodriguez outlined past incidents of the Casper Police Department violating similar constitutional rights, often with unnecessary force. Lawsuits resulting from those incidents cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims.
The city, according to the lawsuit, failed to properly train, supervise and discipline Quirin and Lowry. “It is Casper’s responsibility to properly train its officers to ensure they execute their duties consistent with the Constitution, rather than condoning clear violations of these obligations.”
In the press release, Killmer repeated the concerns about the Casper Police Department’s “history of trampling the civil rights of its residents.”
He complimented Rodriguez’s courage to stand up for herself and fight to hold Quirin and Casper accountable.
“We are proud to have represented her in that fight,” Killmer said.