Police in US searched wrong house because of iPhone app and now to pay a fine of $3.76

Due to an error in the Apple Find My app, the Denver police conducted a search at the home of a 78-year-old woman in pursuit of a stolen car. The court ruled to award the victim $3.76 million in compensation.

In January 2022, law enforcement officers used Find My on another iPhone to determine the location of a stolen car containing weapons, ammunition, and money. However, the police made an error in identifying the correct address on a relatively large area while attempting to apprehend the culprits.

According to the court's decision, 78-year-old Ruby Johnson is entitled to compensation based on her lawsuit. The city of Denver will pay her $3.76 million, even though two officer-defendants were identified in the lawsuit as individuals. The city police department was absolved of liability for the wrongdoing, but the jury disagreed with this decision.

The size of the punitive damages serves as a clear signal that law enforcement agencies must take citizens' constitutional rights seriously, stated plaintiff's attorney Tim McDonald. The city authorities have not yet filed an appeal against the court's decision.

The American Civil Liberties Union, filing on behalf of Ruby Johnson, noted that the search was based on a presumed location signal from the Find My app on an iPhone, which the police misinterpreted. Law enforcement officers relied on the iPhone 11's feature, which presumably was still in the stolen car. However, the area indicated by Find My included parts of six other properties in four city blocks.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the jury concluded that the two officers who issued the raid order had no grounds to select Johnson's home as the target. Each officer is required to pay approximately $1.25 million.