City child-care center owner wins $4.1 million police brutality verdict

A city jury has awarded $4.1 million to a West Philadelphia child-care center operator who said she was brutalized by police while trying to protect her business during a night of civil unrest a day after the fatal 2020 police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., a mentally distressed man.

Paige Goodin, owner of Turning Paige’s Islamic Learning Center, was standing outside one of her centers, at 5229 Market St., on Oct. 27, 2020, to protect it from the protests over Wallace’s shooting that were playing out in the area. The 27-year-old West Philadelphia man was shot by two city officers when he approached them while holding a knife, after his family had called 911 to report that he was having a mental breakdown. His death came just five months after the murder of George Floyd, another Black man, killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

At the time of the events involving Goodin, police were engaging with protesters nearby.

Although Goodin identified herself to police as a business owner and wasn’t involved in the protests, officers forcibly made her leave the outside of her center, according to a lawsuit she filed against several police officers. As she was being pushed to move along, she said one of them, Officer Johangelie Thomas Estrada, hit her on the head with a baton, causing her to bleed and ultimately require stitches.

Officer Christopher Fountas then put Goodin in hand restraints and pushed her into a police van, where she remained for about 45 minutes without medical attention, although Goodin was never arrested on any criminal charge, the lawsuit said.

At the time, Goodin was 30 years old and a college-educated Muslim woman who provided Islam-based care to children of all faiths at her two centers, according to one of her lawyers, Kevin V. Mincey, with the firm Mincey, Fitzpatrick, Ross, LLC. Portions of her ordeal were captured on police body camera, he added.

“She was exactly the type of person, the type of business owner, they were supposed to be out there protecting,” Mincey said. “Instead of helping her, they assaulted her, battered her, and caused her such injury that she could no longer work at that location.”

A city spokeswoman said an appeal is under consideration.

“Of course, the city respects the judicial process, but we are exploring all options to challenge this excessive verdict,” said city Law Department spokeswoman Ava Schwemler.

Goodin still operates a center at 27 S. 60th St., but the location involving her altercation with police was larger and produced more income. She gave it up due to the trauma she sustained in the altercation with police, according to her lawyer.

“She’s soldiering on despite still dealing with the effect of post-traumatic stress. She still has nightmares. She still has flashbacks,” said Mincey.

The $4.1 million verdict includes $4 million in compensatory damages such as loss of income, while $50,000 in punitive damages was assessed against the role of each of the two police officers found liable, Mincey said.

A police Internal Affairs investigation found that Estrada had used excessive force and that Fountas had failed to complete required paperwork, Mincey said.

Both officers are still employed by the city.

Goodin could not be reached for comment Saturday.

The Court of Common Pleas jury reached its verdict late Friday.