Glenn Smith of the Post and Courier published the following on November 10, 2015:
Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager is suing a police fraternal organization for failing to defend him against a murder charge in the killing of Walter Scott.
Slager’s civil attorneys filed the lawsuit Tuesday against Southern States Police Benevolent Association Inc. in U.S. District Court in Charleston. The suit alleges breach of contract, unfair insurance practices and bad faith. It seeks unspecified damages.
The Southern States Police Benevolent Association is made up of more than 40,000 local and federal law enforcement officers. Its chief executive officer, Jack L. Roberts, was not immediately available for comment.
Slager paid the organization a monthly fee for insurance that would provide him a legal defense if sued or charged with a crime in connection with his actions as a police officer. But the organization abandoned him after Slager was accused in April of killing Walter Scott during an on-duty confrontation, according to the lawsuit.
“For us, it’s about how Slager paid $23.50 a month for one thing — to cover him if he got accused or sued if he did something in his capacity as a police officer,” said Ronnie Richter, Slager’s attorney. “Regardless of how you feel about the Slager situation, it seems to be an outrageous act by an insurance company to deny coverage.”
Read more in the full Post and Courier article.