Rohrer v. City of Gastonia
ICAP represents Joshua Rohrer, a disabled, formerly homeless veteran, in a lawsuit over a variety of civil rights abuses he experienced from the City of Gastonia. Mr. Rohrer was arrested for panhandling, and during the arrest, police officers used excessive force against him, including tasing his service dog, Sunshine, who later died. After the arrest, the City sought to further punish Mr. Rohrer for seeking justice by waging a social media campaign of defamation and harassment against him. ICAP challenges the arrest, the amount of force used, and the subsequent retaliation against him as violating the First and Fourth Amendments and other federal and state laws.
- 7/28/25 – Received a decision from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina adopting the Magistrate Judge’s Memorandum and Recommendation and denying Defendants’ motion to dismiss in substantial part
- 8/24/24 – Magistrate Judge issued a Report and Recommendation recommending that the defendants’ motion to dismiss be denied in large part
- 10/23/23 – Filed a brief in opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss
- 7/3/23 – Filed a judicial misconduct complaint against the Magistrate who presided over Mr. Rohrer’s initial appearance and then publicly commented about his case while it was pending
- 6/30/23 – Filed a complaint in federal court seeking declaratory and compensatory relief against the City and several of its officers