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The trial begins on Thursday, Oct. 6 in U.S. District Court in Camden.
Witnesses apparently differ on many facts including what precipitated Vineland Officer Louis Platania to direct force against White in the March 31, 2015 encounter, according to the lawsuit filed by attorneys Stanley O. King and Michael A. Galpern. At one point, a K-9 dog attacks White.
Witnesses also disagree on whether White was conscious or unconscious and whether he resisted the arrest, the lawsuit says.
The medical examiner concluded that White's death was accidental, as a result of phencyclidine (PCP) intoxication. On the other hand, Plaintiff's expert Dr. Michael Baden concluded that the cause of White's death was "[r]espiratory and cardiac arrests during police restraint. (Restraint death)," according to the lawsuit.
According to White's lawsuit, between 2009 and 2014, the Vineland Police Department received 190 complaints about the use of excessive force. The Department investigated 185 of those complaints and sustained none.
From Jan. 1, 2009, until March 31, 2015, there were 45 internal affairs complaints against Officer Platania, including 17 alleging excessive force, the lawsuit says. The police department did not sustain any of those complaints.
Vineland Police Chief Timothy Codispoti was not available for comment.
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