Bangor, Maine _ A federal judge is recommending the dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the father of 22 year old Peter Manuel. Manuel drowned in the Kenduskeag River while fleeing from Bangor police officers on March 2. His body wasn't found until three months later.
The suit filed in August against the City of Bangor, and Bangor Police and Fire Departments, by Manuel's father, Gary Manuel in August, alleges that his son was targeted for harassment by the Bangor Police Department. The harassment, Manuel says, was in response to other lawsuits the family had filed against the city and others over alleged racial and disability housing discrimination.
But U.S. Magistrate John C. Nivison, to whom the case was referred, on Friday found Manuel's arguments insufficient to support a claim of wrongful death.
The Bangor Daily News is reporting that Nivison’s decision to dismiss Manuel's suit is subject to review by U.S. District Judge Lance Walker, but the paper notes that it would be highly unusual for the magistrate’s ruling to be reversed.
