Prosecutor Sued for Retaliation After Man Recovers Seized Property

Corrupt Prosecutor Faces Lawsuit

• ⚖️ A Wayne County prosecutor, Dennis Doherty, is now facing a federal lawsuit, a rare occurrence due to prosecutorial immunity.
• 💡 The lawsuit stems from alleged retaliation against Robert Reeves after he successfully recovered his seized property.

Civil Forfeiture and Seizure

• 🚗 In July 2019, Robert Reeves had his car, cell phones, and $2,280 seized by police after being questioned about stolen rental equipment.
• 🚫 No charges were filed against Reeves, and his property was not returned, nor was a forfeiture complaint filed.
• 🏛️ Reeves partnered with the Institute of Justice to challenge the unconstitutional civil forfeiture program, after which his property was returned.

Retaliatory Charges and Dismissals

• 📈 A month after recovering his property, Reeves was charged with felony receipt or concealment of stolen property, linked to a Home Depot theft investigation.
• ❌ Despite an arrest warrant request being made in September 2019, the prosecutor's office did not act until February 2020, leading to Reeves's arrest.
• 🎤 Charges were dismissed twice by a judge due to insufficient evidence, yet the prosecutor's office refiled them, leading to Reeves's complaint of abuse of process and retaliation.

Legal Battle and Precedent

• 🛡️ The trial court initially dismissed claims against one prosecutor based on absolute immunity but allowed Reeves to amend his complaint.
• appellate court ruled that Doherty was not entitled to prosecutorial immunity for the adjusted claim, allowing the suit to proceed.
• 🚀 This case is likely to be precedent-setting, as successfully suing prosecutors is exceptionally rare, even in cases of alleged misconduct.