Atlanta Cop Who Left a Black Man Paralyzed With a Taser Is Now on the Hook for $21 Million
An Atlanta cop’s split-second decision to deploy a Taser without warning in 2018 changed Jerry Blasingame’s life forever. The fall that followed left him paralyzed, and he died before a federal appeals court ruled that the officer responsible must pay $21 million in damages in a harrowing reminder of how long accountability can take in police misconduct lawsuits.
Jerry Blasingame, described by the court at the time as a 65-year-old homeless man, was accused of panhandling in July 2018, 11 Alive reported. After Officer Jon Grubbs confronted him, Blasingame allegedly fled on foot. That’s when Officer Grubbs deployed his taser in dart mode, hitting Blasingame in the back and causing him to stumble down a “steep embankment.” He hit his head on a utility box’s concrete platform.
After his fall, he was rendered quadriplegic, a form of paralysis commonly caused by spinal cord injuries in the neck area that affects the use of all four limbs and typically the torso. His serious injuries also included a crushed skull and a damaged spine, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Blasingame’s fight didn’t end in the hospital. It continued in federal court, where he sought to hold the officer accountable for the injuries that left him permanently disabled for several years.
The following year, Blasingame sued for use of excessive force. A jury agreed.
Blasigame was awarded $60 million from the City of Atlanta, according to 11 Alive, plus an additional $40 million from Officer Grubbs in 2022. However, a district court reduced Grubbs’ liability to $20 million and punitive damages to $1 million, and dismissed the city’s award.
Neither Blasingame nor Grubbs accepted the lower court’s ruling. Blasingame’s estate representative appealed the decision that wiped out the city’s share of the judgment and reduced portions of the damages awarded against Grubbs. The officer, meanwhile, argued he shouldn’t have been held liable at all, asking the appeals court to grant him qualified immunity. The court affirmed Blasingame’s argument, in part.
The appellate court noted Blasingame wasn’t an immediate threat, wasn’t behaving erratically, and wasn’t armed—something Officer Grubbs attested to, as he confessed he was never in fear of his life. And while Blasingame tried to run, the court noted he wasn’t given one last chance to comply before Grubbs pulled the trigger on his Taser—without so much as a verbal warning.
Eight years later on July 2, 2026, the 11th Circuit upheld the trial judge’s rulings. Despite the massive verdict, Blasingame won’t see a dime. In 2023, he died.
Ven Johnson Law, from a law firm involved in the case, said the verdict was “another step toward justice” on Facebook. He added: “The court’s decision is a HUGE reminder that when the government abuses its power, it should be held accountable.”
