City Defaults on Lawsuit Claiming False Imprisonment

The city of Medford has defaulted on responding to a lawsuit alleging it police department falsely imprisoned a man for a total of six days.

James Twohig, 31, of Medford is suing the city for $500,000, claiming it violated his 14th amendment rights

The city was given until Dec. 21 by Federal Judge William Young to respond to the suit, but it failed to do so, according to court records. Following a request from Twohig's attorney, Laurence Cohen, a notice of default was issued by court clerks against the city.

Cohen also requested Twohig be rewarded with default judgement. That request was denied, but he has the opportunity to seek it again through a more formal request.

If a default judgement is sought, the city will have to provide good reason for missing the court set deadline, or it could face judgement without ever having the opportunity to defend itself.

In a brief interview with Medford Patch Dec. 7, City Solicitor Mark Rumley said the city would respond to the suit in coming weeks, but declined to comment on the case.

Twohig's lawsuit claims he was twice arrested on warrants after police were called to his mother's home and, on both occasions, police continued to hold him even after they were presented with proof the warrant had been recalled.