A woman who sued several Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies claiming they assaulted her at the Oakland County Jail settled for a $20,000 payout a day before a jury trial was scheduled to begin in federal court.

Renee Fazica said she suffered injuries from deputies who used excessive force, and assaulted and groped her when she spent one night in jail following a 2014 arrest for drunken driving in Bloomfield Township. But according to Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe, surveillance video and other evidence showed there was no merit to Fazica’s claims, and that the sheriff’s office was “extremely confident the trial would have gone in our favor” had it proceeded.

Over the course of attorney negotiations, McCabe said, the sheriff’s office repeatedly rejected Fazica’s settlement demands which, in some instances, topped $1 million. But once Fazica agreed on Jan. 6 to accept $20,000, it was decided to settle the case in the best interests of Oakland County taxpayers.

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“(The settlement) was so low that it would have been irresponsible to the taxpayers of Oakland County to not agree to it, given the fact that juries are inherently unpredictable,” McCabe said, “and we would have no guarantee of the outcome if we went to trial.”

Fazica’s attorney didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Oakland Press.

Claims, allegations

The civil case brought by Fazica in 2016 named five deputies who she claimed assaulted her during her stay at the jail. The lawsuit also claimed “gross negligence, willful and wanton misconduct, assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress,” as well as “deprivation of liberty without due process of law.” One of the deputies was later dropped from the lawsuit.

Fazica was arrested after she was pulled over on suspicion of driving drunk, and blood tests subsequently showed she had a blood alcohol content of .32 percent, four times the legal limit, McCabe said. Her 12-year-old son was in the car with her at the time, he added.

After being booked, Fazica’s combative behavior in the Bloomfield Township lockup was too much to handle there, McCabe said, so she was brought to the Oakland County Jail.

Fazica made threats of lawsuits early on — during her arrest and later while being transported to the Oakland County Jail — which were recorded by patrol car video, McCabe said. She also had accused Bloomfield Township police officers of causing injuries to her body, he said.

In her lawsuit, Fazica claimed deputies “violently extracted” her from the Bloomfield Township police car when she arrived at the jail, and that the deputies battered her with their hands and feet, choked her and groped her. She also claimed that she was pushed down a flight of stairs, but later recanted that during deposition, McCabe said.

He further said it wasn’t until Fazica filed her lawsuit did the sheriff’s office become aware of her allegations, and that she never made complaints to the sheriff’s personnel.

The deputies named in the suit were sued individually and represented by attorneys with Oakland County Corporate Counsel. After the settlement agreement was reached, Judge Sean F. Cox of U.S. District Court - Eastern District, issued an order discharging the case.

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