Trial News

Branch Wroth, 41, was purportedly acting strangely at a motel, prompting staff to summon Rohnert Park public safety officers. When the officers arrived, Wroth told them that he had been poisoned with chemicals. When the officers attempted to handcuff Wroth, a struggle ensued. The officers held Wroth face down on the floor of the motel room, and he subsequently died of cardiopulmonary arrest. He is survived by his parents, minor son, and siblings.

Wroth’s parents sued the city of Rohnert Park, alleging it failed to train its public safety officers about the risk of positional asphyxiation. The plaintiffs asserted that Wroth’s death resulted from being forced to the ground and being unable to breathe.

The jury awarded $4 million.

Citation: Wroth v. City of Rohnert Park, No. 3:17-cv-05339-JST (N.D. Cal. June 20, 2019).

Plaintiff counsel: Izaak Schwaiger, Sebastopol, Calif.; and John Scott, San Francisco.