LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington woman who was handcuffed and taken to the ground outside a local hospital has reached a $1.2 million settlement with the city.
Linda Trapp's March 10, 2022, trip to CHI St. Joseph East following a fall ended with her arrested for trespassing after Lexington Police said she resisted arrest. The arrest left her with a broken leg and roughly $500,000 in medical bills, according to a lawsuit she later filed against the city.
The City of Lexington recently settled with Trapp for $1.2 million for the actions of Officer Myles Foster. A city spokeswoman said Foster has since retired on occupational disability, unrelated to this incident.
In 2023, Trapp's attorney, John Reynolds, said the incident reflected how his client was treated as a member of a vulnerable population.
"Linda's part of a marginalized community, and you can see that night on the video that she was dismissed, she was literally shooed away from the hospital, and she was wrongfully arrested," Reynolds said.
Police were originally called to CHI St. Joseph East after a healthcare worker said Trapp had tried to hit nurses and wouldn't leave. Trapp said she had been asking for a negative COVID test so she could return to the Catholic Action Center, where she was staying at the time.
Body camera footage shows that as Trapp was outside the hospital and preparing to leave the property, she stopped and asked for her cane. A healthcare worker told her she had not brought one. One of the responding officers suggested she find a tree branch instead.
"There are some good trees over there downtown," the officer can be heard saying on the video.
When Trapp called the officer a liar after being told again that she had not brought a cane, the officer approached and grabbed her arm without issuing any commands or telling her she was under arrest, according to Reynolds.
"She was never told that she was under arrest," Reynolds said. "She was never told to put her hands behind her back, she was grabbed and forcefully taken to the ground."
Reynolds said the incident amounted to more than a use-of-force dispute.
"I mean, they humiliated her, they were telling her to go ahead and leave and she said 'I need a cane' and they said 'grab a tree branch,'" Reynolds said.
In 2023, LEX 18 asked Trapp why she believed she was treated the way she was.
"Because I was categorized as being homeless," Trapp said.
Trapp, who acknowledged she had been drinking that night and had prior run-ins with officers, also sued the contractor that operates the emergency department at CHI St. Joseph East and a doctor. A judge later dismissed them from the suit with agreement from Trapp and her attorney. The hospital itself was never sued.
LEX 18 reached out to Trapp to ask about the settlement. She said she needs time to think about it, but added that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Trapp currently remains homeless but is staying in a hotel while she figures out where she wants to live permanently.
The City of Lexington had no comment.
