SALT LAKE CITY -- A Utah nurse who was arrested for refusing to let a police officer draw blood from an unconscious patient settled Tuesday with Salt Lake City and the university that runs the hospital for $500,000.
Nurse Alex Wubbels and her lawyer, Karra Porter, announced the move nearly two months after they released police body-camera video showing detective Jeff Payne handcuffing Wubbels. The footage drew widespread attention online during the national debate about police use of force.
The settlement covers all possible defendants in a lawsuit, including individual police officers, university police and hospital security guards. The payout will be divided between the city and the University of Utah.
Wubbels plans to use part of the money to fund legal help for others trying to get similar body-camera video. She said that in cases like hers, video is essential to being heard and believed.
University of Utah hospital officials said in a statement they support Wubbels and have changed their procedures and training on how police and health care workers interact to ensure nothing similar happens again.
Wubbel was following hospital policy when she told Payne he needed a warrant or the consent of the patient to draw blood after a July 26 car crash. The patient was not under arrest or suspected of wrongdoing.
Payne had neither. He eventually dragged Wubbels outside and handcuffed her as she screamed that she had done nothing wrong.
Payne was fired after an internal Salt Lake City Police Department investigation found he had violated department policies. Payne is appealing that decision, saying the firing was an unfair reaction to the negative publicity.
A Section on 11/01/2017