Hamilton police coerced an injured man into accepting a $10,000 settlement days after an officer knocked him unconscious in the department's police station, according to a federal lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, the Hamilton Police Department gave Michael Yordy the payment less than two weeks after officer Stephen Heffernan threw the 62-year-old headfirst into a cinder block counter in the department's booking room. Police records said Yordy posed no threat and Heffernan used excessive force on Sept. 24, 2025.
Yordy's attorney, Paul Laufman, said two armed officers arrived unannounced at Yordy's home on Oct. 7 with a settlement check. Yordy accepted the money and signed an agreement releasing Hamilton from liability. Nearly a year later, Yordy is
suing Heffernan, claiming he was coerced into signing the settlement.
The lawsuit notes a felony assault charge Heffernan filed against Yordy was dismissed at the prosecutor's request the same day Yordy signed the settlement agreement.
"I have never seen a police department try to settle a case with an individual they assaulted just days before," Laufman told The Enquirer. "There was no way that was voluntary by Mr. Yordy given how coercive the situation was."
The civil rights lawsuit seeks money for injuries Yordy suffered, including emotional distress and pain caused by a gash on the right side of his forehead that required 14 staples at Bethesda North Hospital.
The complaint alleges Heffernan later charged Yordy with felony assault on a police officer in an effort to justify the force he used. Heffernan was also charged with assault for his use of force against Yordy and was acquitted of all charges in May.
In a statement, a Hamilton spokesperson declined to answer questions about the lawsuit, citing ongoing litigation.
Hamilton officer faces federal use of force lawsuit
Yordy was walking his dog Sept. 24, 2025, when he was arrested over unpaid fines in a misdemeanor case. He "posed no immediate threat to himself or others in the booking room," according to police records.
Surveillance video shows Heffernan and Yordy arguing as they enter the booking room at the Hamilton Police Department. Heffernan approaches Yordy after he ignored the officer's instruction to remain seated.
Heffernan takes out a second pair of handcuffs. The video shows Heffernan slamming Yordy's face against a wall before forcefully shoving him backward, causing him to sit down.
Heffernan grabbed Yordy's neck and "dropped his body weight," according to a police report, throwing him about 5 feet from a bench into a cinder block counter.
Yordy "remained motionless for over a minute in a fetal-like position" before the on-duty commander provided medical aid, police records state.
Heffernan was suspended 20 days without pay in October. A lawyer hired by Hamilton to review the case initially found Heffernan did not break the law. That decision was criticized by the Butler County prosecutorwho secured an indictment against Heffernan on four misdemeanor assault charges in February.
A judge found Heffernan not guilty in May. He has been on full duty with Hamilton police since May 27, according to the city.
"We're certainly going to use this lawsuit to look into what happened that day further," Laufman said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Police coerced injured man into signing away claims for $10K, lawsuit alleges
