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Jury awards $200,000 in suit over probe of stripper's death Friday, October 21, 2005 BY BEN SCHMITT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER A jury awarded former Detroit Police Lt. Alvin Bowman $200,000 today in his claim that city officials orchestrated his transfer following his investigation into the death of a stripper rumored to have danced at a party at the mayoral Manoogian Mansion. The Wayne County Circuit Court jury of six women and four men ruled that Bowman's April 2004 transfer from the department's homicide section to the midnight shift at the 2nd (Schaefer) Precinct was an "adverse employment action." The trial lasted three weeks in front of Judge Michael Callahan. The jury found the city of Detroit liable for $200,000 damages. They also found no monetary damages against the other defendant, Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings. A teary eyed Bowman, who is 54, said he was pleased with the verdict but disappointed in the monetary damages. He had asked the jury for $1.8 million. "I think it sends a message overall to the ineptness in the executive leadership within the police department and it shows that citizens are concerned," Bowman. His attorney, Mike Stefani, said he was happy that jurors agreed that the city violated the Whistleblower Protection act. "They did find that he was discriminated against by the department," Stefani said. "The amount is less than perhaps we expected." Assistant City Attorney Valerie Colbert-Osamuede said she had a mixed reaction. She pointed out that an arbitrator recommended six months ago that the city settle for $350,000. Colbert-Osamuede maintained during trial that Bowman wasn't demoted and did not take a paycut or cut in benefits. "I really never saw the adverse employment action in this case," she said. "That's kind of difficult to understand and that's why I have a little bit of mixed emotions." As for the money damages, she said: "Well he asked for $1.8 million and got $200,000, so that's not bad. I'm pleased with that and pleased that there was no monetary judgment against the chief." Bowman, a 31-year veteran, claimed he was wrongly reassigned in April 2004 because of his investigation into the death of Tamara Greene, 27, a stripper known as Strawberry. She was killed April 30, 2003, in a drive-by killing. Since her death rumors had persisted that she danced at a wild party at the east side mayoral mansion in the Fall of 2002, but those rumors were never substantiated. State Attorney General Mike Cox, whose office investigated the rumor, dismissed it as urban legend.
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