Yuba City man paralyzed during police encounter gets $20M settlement
YUBA CITY — A California man who was left paralyzed after he was slammed to the ground during a traffic stop won a $20 million settlement, one of the largest in the state's history, officials announced Tuesday.
Gregory Gross, an Army veteran who lives in Yuba City, sued the police department in 2022 after police officers used "pain compliance" techniques and expressed disbelief when he repeatedly cried out, "I can't feel my legs." Police officers also dismissed Gross when he said, "I can't breathe," while being held facedown on the lawn outside a hospital. Gross was accused of driving drunk and causing a slow-speed collision in April 2020.
Gross was left with a broken neck, and he underwent two surgeries to fuse his spine. He said the officers' use of force left him unable to walk or care for himself, and he now needs round-the-clock nursing care for the rest of his life.
"We are not against the police," said Attorney Moseley Collins, who represents Gross. "We are for the police, but we are against police brutality when it occurs."
The settlement is among one of the largest police misconduct settlements in California history.
"The first goal was to get enough money for him to take care of himself because he's going to need millions of dollars to take care of himself," said Moseley Collins, Gross' attorney. "He needs care every day. We're not against police. We're against police brutality and that happened here so we took a stand against it."
In May, the state agreed to pay $24 million to the family of a man who died in police custody after screaming, "I can't breathe," as multiple officers restrained him while trying to take a blood sample.
The Yuba City Police Department -- as part of the settlement -- announced changes to the force, including implementing new de-escalation techniques, randomly auditing bodycam footage and reviewing use-of-force incidents.
"Both sides were trying to come together with a solution that both provides for Greg and makes our cities — in particular, Yuba City — safer," Collins said.
At a Tuesday press conference, Yuba City Police Chief Brian Baker sat with Gross.
"You've been in my thoughts since this tragedy was brought to my attention," Baker told Gross. "On April 12, 2020, we missed the mark, and for that, Mr. Gross, I'm sorry."
While there is no legal mechanism to force accountability for the department, Collins believes this case will lead to permanent changes in Yuba City.
"We don't have a system right now other than if they violate another person's rights, they'll call me or another lawyer and we'll be back," Collins said. "But I believe they are going to do what they said."
In the police body camera video supplied by Gross' lawyers, an officer is seen twisting Gross' already handcuffed arms and forcibly seating him on a lawn. At one point, officers slammed him on the ground and held him facedown as Gross repeatedly cried out that he couldn't feel his legs and he couldn't breathe.
"Mr. Gross, we are done with your silly little games," an officer tells him.
In September 2021, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law barring police from using certain facedown holds that have led to multiple unintended deaths. The bill was aimed at expanding on the state's ban on chokeholds in the wake of George Floyd's murder.