Ryan Payne, Victoria Sharp’s lawsuit over police stop, shooting death of LaVoy Finicum dismissed

A federal lawsuit that alleged FBI agents and state police used excessive force against Robert “LaVoy” Finicum and the occupants of his truck as it fled a police stop in January 2016 has been dismissed. Shawna Cox, one of the occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, initially filed the civil suit herself, but later dropped out of the case. That left refuge occupier Ryan Payne and Victoria Sharp, who were in Finicum’s truck when police attempted to stop it on Jan. 26, 2016, remaining as the plaintiffs in the suit when it was dismissed Friday. They claimed that FBI agents, Oregon State Police and other officials violated their civil rights by using excessive force and “ambushing” them on the day Finicum was shot and killed. The only remaining defendant in the case as of Friday was then-FBI Special Agent in Charge Greg Bretzing. Other defendants, including FBI Agent W. Joseph Astarita, state police and Gov. Kate Brown, had previously been dismissed as defendants. U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman dismissed the suit Friday, saying “It’s time to put a fork in this case.” The complaint’s allegations by Payne and Sharp were barred by the statute of limitations, Mosman said. A separate wrongful death lawsuit brought by Finicum’s widow, Jeanette Finicum, remains pending in U.S. District Court in Oregon...MORE