Nationwide — Dion Rabouin, an African American journalist with The Wall Street Journal who was handcuffed while reporting outside a bank in Phoenix, Arizona, has reached a $100,000 settlement with the city. The Phoenix City Council approved the agreement in a unanimous 9-0 vote on Sept. 9. The settlement resolves his lawsuit, but the city does not have to admit wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
The case dates back to Nov. 23, 2022, when Rabouin was reporting outside a Chase bank. He was speaking with customers about their savings accounts when bank employees contacted police after learning he was a reporter. Officer Caleb Zimmerman responded and asked Rabouin to provide identification. Rabouin refused, telling the officer that he had not broken any law. Zimmerman then handcuffed him and detained him, but he was never charged with a crime.
Bodycam footage captured much of the encounter and later became an important part of the case, according to Atlanta Black Star. Rabouin told Zimmerman that he would leave after the officer said someone had accused him of trespassing. He also explained that he did not realize the sidewalk outside the bank was private property. Even after Rabouin agreed to leave, Zimmerman continued trying to identify him. Katelyn Parady, a woman who recorded the encounter, told the officer that Rabouin had done nothing wrong. Zimmerman also threatened to arrest her while she was recording.
The officer later said he believed he had probable cause to arrest Rabouin based on a bank employee’s claim that Rabouin had been asked to leave. Rabouin disputed that account. He said employees had asked what he was doing but had never told him to leave the property. His lawsuit stated that he had not been asked to leave the sidewalk before Zimmerman arrived. The lawsuit also argued that the officer chose to detain him even after he agreed to leave the area.
Rabouin filed a complaint with the Phoenix Police Department five days after the encounter. He accused Zimmerman of using excessive force, unlawfully detaining him, and racially profiling him. An internal police review later cleared Zimmerman of those allegations. However, the review found that he violated the department’s search and seizure policy when he removed Rabouin’s wallet from his pocket. Zimmerman received a written reprimand and was required to complete remedial training.
Rabouin filed a federal lawsuit in November 2024, accusing Zimmerman of unlawfully detaining and searching him. The lawsuit also challenged the bank employee’s account that he had been asked to leave. Rabouin’s attorney, Benjamin Taylor, pointed to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the Phoenix Police Department, which found evidence of racial profiling and violations of people’s First Amendment rights. Taylor said the situation could have been handled through a simple conversation. The $100,000 settlement ends Rabouin’s lawsuit without an admission of wrongdoing by the city.