Derek Chauvin poses in new mugshot

Deja Vu: Derek Chauvin Slammed With Lawsuit For 'George Floyd-Like Force' On A Woman

Home / News / Deja Vu: Derek Chauvin Slammed With Lawsuit For 'George Floyd-Like Force' On A Woman

By Afouda Bamidele on May 21, 2024 at 6:15 PM EDT

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been accused of using excessive force on a woman months before George Floyd's murder.

The aggrieved victim recently slammed the disgraced law enforcer with a $9 million lawsuit. She cited Chauvin, another Minneapolis cop, and the Minneapolis Police Department as the defendants responsible for her alleged injuries.

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Derek Chauvin's George Floyd Encounter Was Reportedly A Repeat Offense

People Rally at Times Square After Derek Chauvin Verdict
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According to legal documents, a woman named Patricia "Patty" Dawn Welch Day alleged that two Minneapolis police officers — Chauvin and Ellen Jensen — used excessive force on her during a January 2020 arrest.

She painted a horrific tale similar to the tragic death of Floyd, claiming Chauvin and Jensen "violently yanked" her from her vehicle without justification before throwing her to the ground.

The impact allegedly resulted in multiple injuries, including a tooth fracture, injuries to her arm and shoulder, and more wounds. In Day's recollection, per TMZ, these injuries occurred before she was handcuffed, but that didn't stop Chauvin from using more force.

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Derek Chauvin Allegedly Used His Infamous 'Knee' On The Plaintiff

Derek Chauvin poses in new mugshot
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Despite being forced to the ground, Day alleged that Chauvin continued to abuse his power. She claimed he pressed his knee into her back while she was restrained, comparing it to what "he would later do to snuff the life out of George Floyd."

She also bashed the other cop, Jensen, for standing on the sidelines and failing to intervene during Chauvin's excessive use of force.

As for why she was going after the Minneapolis Police Department, Day stressed that they didn't take necessary actions to rectify the alleged injustice.

According to the plaintiff, there was body cam footage to support her claims. However, the Minneapolis Police Department allegedly ignored it, thereby allowing the cops to go on unchecked.

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The Alleged Victim Wants $9 Million In Damages

For the alleged injustices she suffered, Day wants $9 million in compensatory damages from Chauvin, Jensen, and the Minneapolis Police Department. She also wants them to pay an unspecified amount in punitive damages.

It is unclear how the other parties will respond to the lawsuit, but for Chauvin, this legal drama may be a significant problem given his current circumstances. The disgraced cop is serving more than 22 years in prison.

He was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in 2021 over Floyd's case. That same year, Chauvin took a plea deal on a separate federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights and received another 21 years in prison.

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Chauvin Was Attacked In Prison

Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin Convicted For George Floyd's Death Stabbed In Prison
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Last year, The Blast reported that Chauvin had survived a brutal attack from a Mexican gangster named John Turscak. The inmate stabbed the former cop 22 times with an improvised knife in the prison library on November 24, 2023.

Turscak claimed he chose this specific date because of its symbolic connection to the Black Lives Matter [BLM] movement, which originated from Floyd's murder. It also served as a tribute to the "Black Hand" symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia gang.

The gangster, who is serving a decades-long sentence, claimed he would have killed Chauvin if not for the swift response of correctional officers who subdued him with pepper spray. As for the victim, he was transferred to a local hospital for treatment.

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The Former Cop's Family Vowed To Sue Prison Officials

Following Chauvin's stabbing, his mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, slammed the prison for hiding his injuries. She expressed dissatisfaction about learning about the incident through the news, saying:

"How the hell do these news agencies know, and his own mother doesn't even know?"

According to Pawlenty, prison authorities had failed to inform her about the incident despite her being listed as an emergency contact. The matriarch added: "I can't even think what to say. I haven't been to bed and made a path in my kitchen and living room floor by pacing."

The family's attorney, Gregory Erickson, stressed that they would sue prison officials if they continued to keep Chauvin's family oblivious to his condition. He noted they weren't confident in their system in a statement, claiming:

"His family is very concerned about the facility's capacity to protect Derek from further harm. They remain unassured that any changes have been made to the faulty procedures that allowed Derek's attack to occur in the first place."

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