Denver City Council on Monday approved a $150,000 settlement with Justin Skaggs, a former inmate who alleged three separate incidents of misconduct in his time at the Denver jail in 2022.
In one incident, Denver Sheriff Department deputies strip-searched Skaggs while looking for a shank, according to a lawsuit filed in 2024. Though he was cooperating, the complaint states, they smashed his head into a wall. Another deputy shocked him with a stun gun “without authority or reason, causing Skaggs unwarranted pain.” And two other deputies failed to turn on their body-worn cameras.
In a second incident, deputies found Skaggs partially asphyxiated in his cell. They moved him to a restraint chair to protect him. While he was strapped down, a deputy “used a handcuff key to stab Skaggs repeatedly in the knee,” the complaint stated.
When Skaggs called out for help from another deputy, that person ignored the stabbing and did nothing to help, the lawsuit stated.
In a final alleged incident, a deputy hit Skaggs in the head and the torso, cracking Skaggs’ ribs. The deputy was allegedly suspended for 10 days, according to the complaint.
The sheriff department declined to comment on Skaggs’ allegations.
“This decision reflects our commitment to resolving the matter appropriately while continuing to protect the City’s interests,” wrote Melissa Sisneros, a spokesperson for the City Attorney’s Office. “We’re unable to comment on the specifics of the case.”
The settlement passed on a consent vote, with Councilmember Shontel Lewis calling it out to note the city has already paid more than $8.5 million to settle law-enforcement misconduct cases this year.
“This funding is drawn from a liabilities claim pool of money that is refilled when necessary from the city's general budget and does not come out of agency-specific budget,” Lewis said. “We must therefore pay extra attention in this budget environment that we are watching out for how the city spends our money, and that we are making decisions for the future with this knowledge.”
