City of Strafford, Strafford Police sued for wrongful death

STRAFFORD, Mo. — The City of Strafford, the Strafford Police Department (SPD) and two SPD officers are being sued for wrongful death in Greene County Circuit Court.

According to online court dockets filed on Thursday, May 8, Lisa Glasser is suing as heir and next of friend of Taylor Diana, deceased.

The defendants listed in the suit are the City of Strafford, the SPD, and two SPD officers, Ruben Harlin and Jeff Ford.

The four-count petition — which is heavily redacted — states the incident occurred on Sept. 18, 2023.

Due to the document's redactions, the circumstances surrounding Diana's death are not immediately clear.

The first count of the petition alleges wrongful death due to negligence, saying the defendants owed a duty of care to Diana and the general public to operate their vehicles and conduct law enforcement activities in a safe and reasonable manner.

The petition's second counts say that as a direct and proximate result of SPD officers Harlin and Ford's "unconstitutional actions" in violation of the Fourth Amendment, Diana suffered severe injuries leading to his death.

The third count alleges Diana suffered severe injuries leading to his death as a result of Harlin and Ford's unconstitutional actions regarding the Fourteenth Amendment.

Additionally, the fourth count alleges municipal liability in the wrongful death, saying that failures, policies, and customs — which are redacted in the document — amount to deliberate indifference to the rights of people who the SPD come into contact with.

Ozarks First has reached out to the plaintiff's attorneys, Brad Bradshaw and Joshua K. Roberts, for comment and have not received response as of this article's publishing.

Ozarks First reached out to the City of Strafford for comment but have not received comment, as well.

The lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of damages that the court finds reasonable.