Settlement reached in Curtis civil lawsuit

Staff Report

    BANGOR — The state will pay the relatives of the late Michael Scott Curtis of Sangerville $225,000 to settle a civil lawsuit filed against the Maine state police after Curtis was fatally shot during a standoff at the Piscataquis County Fairgrounds in November 2011.
    Curtis had fatally shot his wife’s ex-husband, Udo Schneider, at Schneider’s workplace — Hilltop Manor in Dover-Foxcroft — on Nov. 29, 2011 before driving to the fairgrounds. Several police officers and other law enforcement agencies converged on the area within minutes.

    The lawsuit claimed that Curtis was unarmed when Piscataquis County Sheriff John Goggin approached Curtis to try and convince him to surrender. Curtis, who was a dispatcher and firefighter, had a portable radio with him and was in contact with the Piscataquis County communications center and Goggin, according to investigators.
    State Trooper Jon Brown fatally shot Curtis, and the Maine attorney general’s report determined that the use of deadly force was justified against Michael Curtis.
    “An examination of Mr. Curtis’s pistol after his (Curtis’) death disclosed seven live rounds still in the weapon, indicating that Mr. Curtis reloaded the weapon between the time he shot and killed Mr. Schneider and the time he was shot and killed by Trooper Brown,” according to the AG’s report. “Several loose live .40 caliber rounds were found in the pickup truck.”
    Attorney Hunter J. Tzovarras, who represented the plaintiffs, said that they have “reached a fair and just settlement based on the unique facts and circumstances of this case. Trooper Brown’s use of deadly force against Michael Curtis was unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment.”
    Tzovarras, in a prepared statement, said that “Mr. Curtis did not threaten any officer and never tried to flee. Sheriff (John) Goggin was negotiating the peaceful surrender of Mr. Curtis, when Trooper Brown arrived and made the decision to use deadly force, ultimately taking Mr. Curtis’ life. The settlement fairly reflects the unreasonableness of Trooper Brown’s decision. The plaintiffs hope settling this case will provide some closure and help the family move forward from this tragedy.”
    The original lawsuit was filed by Curtis’ wife, Margaret, who died in January 2013.
    In July 2013, Curtis’ daughter, Cassie; and Margaret Curtis’ brother, Mathias Poulin, filed the civil lawsuit against Brown, Maine State Police Col. Robert Williams, Lt. Col. Raymond Bessette, Maj. Gary Wright, Dexter Police Chief Kevin Wintle, former Dexter Police Chief James Emerson and the town of Dexter. The lawsuit later was moved to U.S. District Court in Bangor.
    “We’re going to voluntarily dismiss the claims against the Dexter officers,” Tzovarras said Monday. “The suit only reflects a settlement against Trooper Brown.”