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Former South Carolina Officer Facing Murder Charges Sues Union Over Legal Bills

Former North Charleston, SC, police officer Michael Slager is suing a police fraternal organization for failing to defend him against a murder charge in the killing of Walter Scott.

November 12, 2015
1 min to read


Former North Charleston, SC, police officer Michael Slager is suing a police fraternal organization for failing to defend him against a murder charge in the killing of Walter Scott.

Slager’s civil attorneys filed the lawsuit Tuesday against Southern States Police Benevolent Association Inc. in U.S. District Court in Charleston. The suit alleges breach of contract, unfair insurance practices and bad faith. It seeks unspecified damages, the Charleston Post & Courier reports.

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Slager paid the organization a monthly fee for insurance that would provide him a legal defense if sued or charged with a crime in connection with his actions as a police officer. But the organization abandoned him after Slager was accused in April of killing Walter Scott during an on-duty confrontation, according to the lawsuit.

Slager faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of murder in Scott’s April 4 shooting death, which followed a traffic stop and a struggle between the two men.

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