Denver to Pay $3.76M After "Find My" App Leads to Wrongful Police Raid

The city of Denver, Colorado, has been ordered to pay $3.76 million in compensation and damages after its police department conducted a wrongful raid on an elderly woman's home, relying on data from Apple's Find My app.

In 2022, Denver police, seeking to recover a stolen truck containing guns, ammunition, and cash, used Apple's Find My app on an iPhone to pinpoint the vehicle's location. However, the police mistakenly targeted the home of 78-year-old Ruby Johnson.

As a result of the misplaced raid, Johnson filed a lawsuit against the police department. The city will pay Johnson a $3.76 million settlement. Furthermore, the officers involved – Detective Gary Staab and Sgt. Gregory Buschy – were also named as defendants in the suit. While the Denver Police Department initially cleared both officers of wrongdoing, the jury disagreed.

The Role of Apple's Find My App

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) represented Johnson in the case. The lawsuit argued that the raid was based on a misinterpreted location ping from the iPhone's Find My app, for which the officers had inadequate training.

According to the complaint, the police relied on a "Find My" ping from an iPhone 11, likely still inside the stolen truck. The area identified by the app encompassed portions of six properties spread across four city blocks.

Tim Macdonald, Johnson's attorney, stated, "We are disturbed by the lack of training or policy changes and hope that the amount of the punitive damages award will send a strong message that the police department must take seriously the constitutional rights of its residents."

The ACLU and the jury concluded that the officers ordering the raid lacked justification for specifically targeting Johnson's residence. The officers are liable for nearly $1.25 million each in punitive and compensatory damages. As of now, the city of Denver has not filed an appeal against the verdict, according to a Denver District Court clerk.