- “As the officers dragged me away and beat me, all I could think of was my children. I thought I was going to die and never see them. I struggled for my life, praying to God to save me. Then everything went black.” – Nakia Porter
SACRAMENTO – Plaintiffs in the case of Porter, et al. v. County of Solano, et al. announced Monday that they finalized a $17 million settlement with Solano County in an excessive force lawsuit. Attorneys said the agreement is one of the largest of its kind in California history and closes a case that has been the focus of public outcry since the incident occurred in 2020.
The lawsuit centers on what happened on the night of August 6, 2020, when plaintiffs Nakia Porter and her father, J.B. Powell, were driving home to Sacramento from a cultural event in Oakland. Porter’s three young children, ages three, four, and six, were in the car with them. During the drive, they pulled off the road in Solano County to safely switch drivers. Deputies Dalton McCampbell and Lisa McDowell of the Solano County Sheriff’s Office approached the car during the stop.
According to the complaint, Porter—a 5-foot-2-inch, 125-pound Black woman—explained to deputies that she was changing seats so her father could continue the drive. Despite her compliance, deputies escalated the situation. The lawsuit alleges that McCampbell suddenly decided to detain Powell while McDowell moved to handcuff Porter.
At a 2021 press conference, Porter recounted that the deputies dragged her away and beat her unconscious while her children and father looked on in fear.
“As the officers dragged me away and beat me, all I could think of was my children. I thought I was going to die and never see them. I struggled for my life, praying to God to save me. Then everything went black,” Porter said. “When I came to, I was handcuffed inside the Sheriff’s car, my head spinning and my entire body hurting. But they did not stop with me. They handcuffed my father and terrorized my young children who were left alone in the car while the deputies searched our car for no reason. These deputies treated us less than human and left a void we are still struggling to fill. I cannot describe what this type of experience does to a person, but I wish it on no one. I try to stay positive and move forward a little bit each day. This cannot happen again—to anyone. I want to see real change.”
The case brought national attention to Solano County law enforcement, with body camera footage from the incident described as harrowing by experts. In 2021, attorney Yasin Almadani, who led the legal team representing Porter, said, “Anyone who took the time to actually watch the video was horrified by the injustice and terror that was inflicted on Ms. Porter by the Solano County Sheriff’s Office.”
Almadani added that excessive force experts, including former law enforcement officers, who reviewed the video believed the deputies should face criminal investigation.
“Think about that for a second—excessive force experts who are former law enforcement officers didn’t say that there should be an internal investigation. The events were so horrifying, what happened to them is so bad that these experts said that these deputies should be criminally investigated.”
Almadani expressed frustration that Solano County Sheriff Thomas Ferrara did not take action when confronted with the video evidence. “When the sheriff saw the video, what did he do? He turned a blind eye and supported his deputies’ criminal acts. So now we know that the sheriff believes that he and his deputies are above the law.”
The complaint detailed how Porter was dragged out of view of a patrol dash camera and beaten. It alleged that McCampbell, a large male deputy, forced Porter onto her stomach, mounted her, and beat her as McDowell pulled her hair and shoved her face into the concrete. Porter lost consciousness and was tossed into a patrol car. She remained unconscious for more than five minutes.
Deputies booked her overnight, submitting reports that attorneys later described as fabricated. The district attorney declined to prosecute after body camera evidence contradicted the deputies’ accounts.
The brutality of the encounter sparked protests and drew the attention of civil rights groups.
In 2021, Sacramento NAACP President Betty Williams compared Solano County to “the new Mississippi,” warning Black residents to be on guard when encountering deputies. “If you’re going through Solano County, Black people be aware because if you have to stop for anything late at night, early in the morning or during the day, and you are approached by a Solano sheriff, you need to be aware,” Williams said. “She did nothing wrong. The only thing this family did was stop. They did the right thing when you get tired, you change seats.”
Porter herself spoke out at rallies in 2021, delivering emotional and defiant remarks that connected her experience to a wider pattern of police violence. She invoked the names of Stephon Clark, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and others, saying, “So many other names of people that are dying daily. So many others that you do not know their stories because they sink down and they’re afraid to stand up against oppression.”
She described how what should have been a routine and safe driver switch turned into a nightmare. “As we were trying to switch our seats, a normal trip to have a good time turns into a horror story,” Porter said. “I’m utterly confused. I’m compliant. You want me to get back into the car? Okay, let me do that. I don’t make it. How terrifying is that? Then all of a sudden hands are put on you. Whether in uniform or not, if you were going somewhere and somebody puts hands on you and you are not expecting for anyone to lay hands on—you is fearful. What is about to happen to my life?”
Porter said she struggled to explain the incident to her children, recalling that her oldest daughter told her, “Mommy, I was so scared.”
The calls for accountability extended beyond local advocacy. Clergy, community leaders, and organizations such as CAIR and the Tri-City NAACP spoke in solidarity with the family.
Reverend Decoy Porter, not related to Nakia, said in 2021, “Unfortunately such acts of police brutality continue to happen to people who look like us. I am outraged, tired, disappointed, but mostly I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed because it is obvious that, even after a George Floyd, after a Breonna Taylor and here in our own Sacramento, I see Stephon Clark and the landmark police reform laws that our legislature has passed in response to these tragic and unnecessary deaths, that we still have a problem.”
Attorney Almadani said that representing Porter was an honor. “You’ve seen Nakia, how polished, well educated, thoughtful she is. You saw this side of her championing the rights of others. She’s taking such a negative experience and turning it into something as productive as it can be.”
The $17 million settlement finalized this week represents not only a legal resolution but also a vindication for Porter and her family after years of litigation and advocacy. Almadani emphasized the broader implications. “What happened to Ms. Porter and her family should never happen in our society, which values and respects law and order and the equality and dignity of all people. Having a badge is not a license to abuse and assault the very people that law enforcement agents are sworn to serve and protect. I am honored to have been a part of this historic case and to have brought some level of justice to Ms. Porter and her family.”
Porter credited her attorneys for standing by her throughout the case.
“They were fierce advocates for me and my children, and I was comforted with the knowledge that they were on my side and would always be fighting for my interests. As our lead counsel, Mr. Almadani regularly called me personally to update and inform me about what was going on in the litigation. While nothing can ever replace what we lost, I am grateful to my lawyers for the vigorous representation.”
Almadani was supported by Ahmed Ibrahim of AI Law, who served as co-counsel. Together they guided the case to a conclusion that sets a precedent for accountability and restitution in excessive force claims.
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