Dontrell Stephens was paralyzed after a Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputy shot him four times in September 2013. Now, a proposed bill on the desk of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will provide Stephens around $16.5 million less than a jury awarded him in February 2016 due to the application of sovereign immunity.

Stephens’ attorney, John “Jack” Scarola, a partner at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, blamed an antiquated remnant of British common law, sovereign immunity, for the reduction in the amount of funds Stephens can recover.

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