Texas Woman Wins Round One in Lawsuit Challenging SWAT Team’s Destruction of Her Home
19th November 2021
On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that a lawsuit filed by a Texas woman whose home was destroyed by a SWAT team may move forward. This is a first step toward holding the city of McKinney accountable for destroying Vicki Baker’s home.
“The court recognized that the city of McKinney is not exempt from the Constitution,” said IJ Attorney Jeffrey Redfern. “This is the first step towards Vicki getting her due, but it’s a big one. The government must compensate individuals when it deliberately destroys their property.”
…
In July 2020, police were pursuing a fugitive who decided to hide out in a home that was listed for sale in the Dallas suburb of McKinney. That home belonged to Vicki Baker. After a lengthy standoff, the SWAT team stormed the home, shattering windows, setting off tear-gas grenades, tearing down doors and destroying the fence. The home was in ruins and Vicki’s daughter’s dog was left deaf and blind from the explosions.
Vicki had renovated the house and it was under contract to be sold. The SWAT team left it uninhabitable; every window was destroyed, and she had to hire a hazmat team to dispose of what was left inside. All in all, it was over $50,000 worth of damage. Upon seeing the destruction that occurred, the potential buyer backed out, Vicki’s insurance company did not cover most of the expenses and the city offered no remedy to her.