A lawsuit filed by a deaf activist who said he was not provided any means to communicate with authorities or his family after he was arrested and jailed in St. Paul has been moved to federal court.
Douglas Bahl, 57, and his wife, Susan Kovacs-Bahl, have sued Ramsey County, the Sheriff's Office and the city of St. Paul in Ramsey County District Court. The city attorney's office filed a notice late Wednesday to move the case to U.S. District Court, saying the Bahls allege the defendants have violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Attorney Emily Teplin said Thursday that she and her co-counsel Rick Macpherson will ask the federal court to return the case to state court.
"It's very important to Doug and to Susan that a judge orders the Police Department to change its policies," Teplin said. "They want to make sure what happened to Doug doesn't happen to any deaf person in the future. We believe that a federal court would not have jurisdiction over those injunctive claims but we believe a state court would."
Bahl was arrested after he was stopped for running a red light and scuffled with an officer in November 2006. He claims he told the officer he was deaf and asked to communicate in writing. Instead, he claims he was taken to jail and for three days, not provided with a sign-language interpreter who could explain the charges and help him communicate.
Bahl ultimately was convicted of a misdemeanor crime in connection with the incident.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said earlier this month that his agency has worked with Bahl to improve procedures. City Attorney John Choi also said on Aug. 1 that the city thinks it was Bahl, not the police, who acted inappropriately.
PAT PHEIFER
