Civil Rights & Constitutional Law
Federal judge denies Parma’s bid to escape accountability for police retaliation over Facebook...
April 6, 2018
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
PARMA, OH — Yesterday, a mother filed a civil-rights lawsuit in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on behalf of her 13-year-old child, alleging that Parma Police Department officers subjected the 70-pound child to gratuitous police brutality, First Amendment retaliation, and severe physical injuries during an August 13, 2025 incident.
The suit names the City of Parma and Parma police Officers Michael Frinzl, Olivia Bartulovic, and Ryan Sopko in both their official and personal capacities. According to the complaint, officers responded to Walters Grove Park following a minor dispute among 13-year-old friends. After the boy's mother arrived to pick him up, the child tossed a stick toward the rear hatch door of his mother's van while standing far away from officers. In response, Officers Bartulovic and Dale Calta chased down the 70-pound child, tackled him, aggressively handcuffed him, and locked him in a police cruiser.
According to the complaint, body-camera footage recorded multiple instances of severe physical abuse after the child arrived at the Parma police station:
Excerpts of the body-camera footage filed with the court are available above and here.
The lawsuit asserts Monell liability against the City of Parma, alleging a decades-long custom, policy, and practice of condoning gratuitous violence and retaliatory excessive force against individuals who criticize police authority. The filing lists a long series of prior federal lawsuits detailing excessive force by Parma police officers. To date, the City of Parma has failed to discipline Officers Bartulovic or Sopko—and only placed Officer Frinzl alone on paid administrative leave on May 29, 2026, after receiving media inquiries.
Subodh Chandra, lead counsel for the plaintiff, issued the following statement regarding the lawsuit: “The body-camera footage reveals a terrifying level of cruelty inflicted by adult police officers on a 70-pound, 13-year-old child who was already in handcuffs. The City of Parma’s history of enabling this culture of abuse must end, and these officers must be held fully accountable for brutalizing a helpless child.”
The family is represented by Subodh Chandra, Courtney Bow, and Emily Bohatch.
The case is captioned L.G. on behalf of her minor child, Child 1 v. City of Parma, et al., Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas No. CV 26-144419 and is assigned to Judge Mollie Ann Murphy. The complaint is available here.
Yesterday, the mother also filed criminal charges against the officers.
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