Man Sues Cop For Breaking Finger After Flipping Him Off, And Denying Medical Treatment

A man in Colorado is suing the sheriff’s deputy who broke his finger. Jeffrey Woodfork alleges that Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy Travis Wilson broke his middle finger when he used it to flip off the cop after an altercation.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday on behalf of Woodfork in U.S. District Court in Denver, also alleges that the jail staff failed to provide him medical treatment for the injury, causing the finger to heal in a malformed position.

According to the lawsuit, Woodfork and a female companion were stopped December 12, 2015, by Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy Travis Wilson, who was driving an unmarked police vehicle. The woman fled while Woodfork was held at gunpoint, the lawsuit read. It’s unclear what prompted the stop, but the lawsuit claims Wilson demanded Woodfork tell him where his female companion ran off too. Woodfork claims he refused Wilson’s request, responding by saying “f—k you” as he flashed the deputy his middle finger.

According to the Denver Post, the lawsuit alleges during the arrest of Woodfork following the interaction, Wilson purposely broke Woodfork’s middle finger by twisting and yanking the finger until it snapped. Over the next eight weeks inside the Adams County Jail, Woodfork alleges in the suit that his pleas for medical assistance were ignored by nursing staff, contracted through Corizon Health until x-rays revealed a fracture.  Woodfork alleges he was denied treatment for 20 more days after that until his red, swollen, and misshapen finger had already healed improperly.

Woodfork is suing Wilson and the Corizon Health nurses for excessive force and deliberate indifference to medical care. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages.