Lawyer Fined $500 for Suing Police Dog, City Defendant to Seek Costs

After earlier fining a Michigan lawyer $500 for naming a police dog as a defendant in a lawsuit over a bite, a state-court judge has now dismissed the claim citing sovereign immunity and a lack of evidence.

Attorney Lawrence Radden admittedly named Liberty, a German Shepherd, as a defendant in the Macomb County Circuit Court case as an "attention-grabber." However, he says his client was bitten in a 2007 police incident and he has video of the dog lunging at her, albeit not biting her, reports the Macomb Daily.

Attorney Raechel Badalamenti, who represents the city of Warren in the case, says she plans to seek attorney's fees from the plaintiff, who was convicted of disorderly conduct charge concerning the incident, for filing a "frivolous" case.