Denver Hit with Multi-Million Dollar Penalty After Erroneous Raid Based on Apple's Find My App

The Apple Find My app has led to significant financial repercussions for the city of Denver, resulting in $3.76 million in compensation and damages. The case stems from a mistaken police raid in 2022, where officers wrongly targeted an elderly woman's home in search of a stolen truck and firearms.

According to CNN, the Denver Police Department was attempting to locate a stolen truck containing guns, ammunition, and cash. They utilized Apple's Find My technology on an iPhone to pinpoint the vehicle's location.

However, the police mistakenly identified Ruby Johnson's residence, a 78-year-old woman, as the location of the stolen goods. As a result of the unwarranted raid, Johnson filed a lawsuit against the police department. The city has been ordered to pay Johnson $3.76 million in damages.

Furthermore, the officers involved, Detective Gary Staab and Sgt. Gregory Buschy, were also named as individual defendants in the lawsuit. Despite being initially cleared of any wrongdoing by the Denver Police Department, the jury found otherwise.

ACLU Highlights Training Deficiencies in Find My App Usage

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) represented Johnson in the case. The lawsuit emphasized that the raid was executed based on a misinterpreted "alleged location ping" from an iPhone's Find My app. The lawsuit claimed the officers lacked sufficient understanding and training in using the technology.

According to the complaint, the police relied on a "Find My" ping from an iPhone 11, presumably still inside the stolen truck. However, the identified area encompassed portions of six different properties across four city blocks.

Tim Macdonald, Johnson's attorney, expressed concern over the lack of adequate training and policy changes. He stated, "We are disturbed by the lack of training or policy changes and hope that the amount of the punitive damages award will send a strong message that the police department must take seriously the constitutional rights of its residents.”

Both the ACLU and the jury concluded that the officers who ordered the raid had no justifiable reason to specifically target Johnson's home. The officers are now liable for nearly $1.25 million each in punitive and compensatory damages. As of now, the city of Denver has not filed an appeal against the verdict, according to a Denver District Court clerk.