Prison Justice
Jury awards practically $60M to former police officer for wrongful prosecution in intercourse assault case
August 15, 2025, 9:39 am CDT
Federal jurors in Detroit awarded about $58.5 million Tuesday to a person who was a police officer in Duval County, Florida, when he mentioned he was wrongly charged with sexually abusing a baby in Michigan. (Picture from Shutterstock)
Federal jurors in Detroit awarded about $58.5 million Tuesday to a person who was a police officer in Duval County, Florida, when he mentioned he was wrongly charged with sexually abusing a baby in Michigan.
Jurors awarded Sean MacMaster $33 million in compensatory damages towards David Busacca, a Michigan State Police officer, and Brian Kolodziej, a former Michigan assistant legal professional basic, report the Detroit Free Press, the Related Press and WXYZ. Jurors additionally awarded punitive damages of $10 million towards Busacca and $15 million towards Kolodziej.
Jurors mentioned the defendants acted “deliberately, intentionally or with reckless disregard for the reality” in pursuing the fees.
Attorneys for MacMaster had alleged that Kolodziej pursued the fees to impress a girl near MacMaster’s ex-wife, who was engaged in a custody battle with MacMaster, in response to the AP.
Michigan Legal professional Common Dana Nessel dropped the felony sexual conduct cost towards MacMaster in 2021. At about that point, Kolodziej resigned from Nessel’s workplace amid proof that he was in a romantic relationship with a distinct girl in a sexual assault case that he oversaw. In line with the AP, he pleaded no contest to willful neglect of obligation and gave up his legislation license.
Representing himself at trial, Kolodziej mentioned his resignation from the legal professional basic’s workplace “has completely nothing to do with the details of this case supporting possible trigger for an arrest warrant and a search warrant,” the AP reviews.
Busacca’s lawyer mentioned his shopper was a highway patrol trooper supervised by others, and he was “not going out on a limb right here to assist Brian Kolodziej get a girlfriend.”
Write a letter to the editor, share a narrative tip or replace, or report an error.
