Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A federal lawsuit alleging excessive force has been filed against the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office regarding a traffic stop nearly two years ago.

Plaintiff Gregg Kidney of Monroe County filed suit in U.S District Court in Detroit. The listed defendants include the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, Sergeant Kendall Kretzschmer, and Deputies Ryan Tibbetts and Bryan Uzoni.

The Livingston Daily first reported this story.

Court records show an amended complaint was filed June 12th - alleging excessive force in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments and gross negligence.

It states the defendants inflicted excessive force on Kidney during a July 6th, 2024 traffic stop. It was around 10pm when he was driving home from his cottage in Roscommon County that culminated with Kidney “being seriously injured”.

The complaint states Kidney was pulled over by Defendants Tibbetts and Uzoni due to him serving on the highway. It alleges “Tibbetts and Uzoni used excessive force by violently pulling Plaintiff out of his vehicle, slamming him into the ground, and stepping on his back under, slamming his head into the police car tire, and failing to take immediate action when Plaintiff informed them that he was having a medical emergency”.

The complaint states Kidney was hospitalized that night and he had “a right basal intracerebral brain hemorrhage with an estimated volume of 16 mL due to a blood clot that required immediate surgery”.

The complaint read as a “result of Defendants’ use of excessive force and delay in obtaining medical care, Plaintiff suffered extensive bruising, Plaintiff’s stroke worsened, resulting in catastrophic injuries that required emergency brain surgery, extended hospitalization of 46 days across multiple facilities, and months of intensive inpatient rehabilitation care and at-home care”. It goes on to say Kidney “suffered and continues to suffer physical and neurological injuries and damages. Plaintiff continues to experience neurological complications such as memory loss and confusion”.

Sheriff Mike Murphy declined to comment on the pending litigation.

A link to the amended complaint is provided.