A woman who claims a Stillwater police officer injured her left elbow in a scuffle after Lumberjack Days 2010 has settled her lawsuit against the city.

Katherine Liend sued Officer Brad Allen in U.S. District Court in 2011, alleging that Allen violated her federal civil rights by using excessive force on her.

The case settled for $150,000, Liend’s attorney, Robert Bennett of Minneapolis, said Thursday, July 12.

According to police reports, Liend was with a male friend at the former Cherry Bowl bar in downtown Stillwater at 2 a.m. July 24, 2010, when police officers responded to a fight on the bar’s deck. Police say Liend’s friend refused to leave the scene when asked, and as Allen started to arrest him, Liend struck Allen.

Liend’s arm was injured when Allen wrenched her left arm behind her back, Bennett said. She suffered a “near complete left elbow dislocation that included a fracture and disruption of tendons and ligament,” he said. She had to have surgery and missed more than a month of work, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

The money was paid by the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust on behalf of the city, said Joe Flynn, the attorney representing the city in the case.

“All the claims against the officer were dismissed without payment of any money on his behalf and the officer acted properly in dealing with Ms. Liend under very difficult circumstances,” Flynn said. “He was dealing with a hostile crowd and Ms. Liend came very aggressively at the officer. The officer did what was reasonable to get her under control.”

Allen was first hired as a part-time officer in 1990. He was made a full-time officer in 1995 and has served in the patrol division and as an investigator.

In December 2009, Allen shot and killed Gerald Propps, who had fatally shot his wife in their apartment in Stillwater. Propps shot at Allen, who returned fire. The Stillwater City Council presented Allen an Award of Valor for his actions.

Allen’s personnel file notes that in 2003 he received a 15-day suspension for “in-squad video and physical force.” No other details were provided.

Mayor Ken Harycki said the decision to settle the case was a “business decision.”

“Everything I’ve been told leads me to believe our officers did everything right and acted correctly,” Harycki said. “It’s the type of thing our attorneys would be happy to litigate to the last dollar, but that’s not a good use of taxpayer money. We could be 100 percent right and still end up paying more than this in legal fees.”

Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443. Follow her at twitter.com/MaryEDivine.