Denver to Pay Millions After Erroneous Police Raid Triggered by Apple's Find My App Data

The city of Denver, Colorado, has been ordered to pay \$3.76 million in compensation and damages after a mistaken police raid on an elderly woman's home, triggered by data from Apple's Find My app.

In 2022, Denver police were attempting to recover a stolen truck containing guns, ammunition, and cash. They utilized Apple's Find My technology on an iPhone to pinpoint the vehicle's location. However, this led them to the wrong house.

As a result of the unwarranted raid, 78-year-old Ruby Johnson filed a lawsuit against the Denver Police Department. The city will now pay Johnson \$3.76 million as compensation. Furthermore, the officers involved, Detective Gary Staab and Sgt. Gregory Buschy, were also sued individually. Despite initially being cleared of wrongdoing by the Denver police, the jury disagreed.

The Role of Apple's Find My App

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) represented Johnson in the case. The lawsuit highlighted that the raid was based on an "alleged location ping from an iPhone's Find My app that the officers did not understand and for which they had no training."

According to the complaint, the police acted on a "Find My" ping from an iPhone 11, presumably still inside the stolen truck. The area identified encompassed parts of six other properties across four city blocks. This imprecision was a key factor in the wrongful raid.

Tim Macdonald, Johnson's attorney, stated, "We are disturbed by the lack of training or policy changes and hope that the amount of the punitive damages award will send a strong message that the police department must take seriously the constitutional rights of its residents.”

The ACLU and the jury concluded that the officers who ordered the raid had no justification for targeting Johnson's house specifically. The officers are also liable for nearly \$1.25 million each in punitive and compensatory damages. A Denver District Court clerk confirmed that the city has not yet filed an appeal against the verdict.