A lawsuit filed by a photojournalist against Clark County has been settled in federal court.
Andrew Grimm and the county have settled a lawsuit he and KBA News filed in late 2017 after Grimm was shot by a Clark County deputy.
“They say a good litigation is when neither side is happy,” Grimm said. “I’m not exactly happy, I know they aren’t happy either, but I am happy this is over.”
The Clark County Sheriff's Office released a statement to the Springfield News-Sun on Friday afternoon.
"The lawsuit between Andy Grimm and the Clark County Sheriff's Office has been resolved in a manner that is mutually satisfactory to both parties. The Sheriff's Office will continue the hard work of protecting and serving the citizens of Clark County. We wish Mr. Grimm the best in his future endeavors," the statement says.
Grimm declined to say exactly how much money was involved in the settlement but did say it’s more than $100,000 but less than $1 million. He said he was happy the process is over.
“The court process was taxing. We had this admission of wrongdoing for a year, and I had to sit on it and endure this public scrutiny … knowing that I was in the right,” he said. “This has caused a big toll on my wife and my family. It’s ruined my business, it’s hurt my photography but we are happy it’s over and behind us.”
Grimm said he plans to leave Clark County — a place he’s lived for the vast majority of his life.
“For the safety of my wife and family,” he said was the reason.
The Clark County Commission, which was the final defendant listed in the lawsuit after Grimm’s attorney moved to terminate Clark County Sheriff Deb Burchett, Deputy Jake Shaw and the city of New Carlisle from the lawsuit in March, declined to comment for this article.
Grimm, a former photographer for the New Carlisle News, was shot by Shaw on Sept. 4 on Main Street in New Carlisle while preparing to take photos of the deputy at a traffic stop.
Shaw was cleared by a Clark County grand jury of any criminal actions. However, Grimm filed the lawsuit seeking compensation for the incident.
The lawsuit said Grimm suffered serious injuries and financial suffering that he believed the county was responsible for.
“The nature of the injury has caused plaintiff to lose wages for time taken off to heal from the injury,” it says. “The loss of wages suffered by Andrew Grimm is serious and of a nature that no reasonable person could be expected to endure.”
The lawsuit also alleges Grimm’s wife, Melanie Grimm, and KBA News LLC, which published the New Carlisle News, also suffered due to the shooting.
“Plantiff KBA News, LLC asserts loss of business profits as local law enforcement agencies have retaliated against the business in response to the events of Sept. 4,” the lawsuit says.
The New Carlisle News discontinued its newspaper in December 2018 but has published stories online since.
The county responded to Grimm’s lawsuit last year and said that his actions provoked the shooting.
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