Lyndsey Howell v. Ohio University Police Department, Case No. 2013-00001

An Ohio University student who said a campus police officer broke her thumb while arresting her will receive $22,554. The Court of Claims of Ohio approved a magistrate's decision on October 1.

Lyndsey Howell, of Chillicothe, filed a negligence lawsuit in January 2013 against the Ohio University Police Department. Howell said Lt. Eric Hoskinson broke her thumb and injured her hand in January 2012 while he was handcuffing her for driving under the influence.

During trial proceedings, Lt. Hoskinson testified that he asked Howell if she was injured before he began her field sobriety tests, and she said she was not. He also said that he grabbed Howell’s fingers and pulled them in a downward motion, though he “did not recall making any contact with her thumbs.”

In June 2014, Magistrate Holly True Shaver wrote in her decision that “Lt. Hoskinson failed to use ordinary care when he placed handcuffs on her,” and “more probable than not that Lt. Hoskinson’s actions of pulling plaintiff’s fingers downward behind her back while placing handcuffs on her resulted in the injury to her left hand.”

Howell will receive $2,529 for out-of-pocket medical expenses, $20,000 for pain and suffering, and $25 for a filing fee.

The Court of Claims is given original jurisdiction to hear and determine all civil actions filed against the State of Ohio and its agencies.

To access information on other cases visit the Court of Claims website.

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