In a gripping lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on February 11, 2026, an Akron resident has accused local law enforcement and judicial officials of systemic misconduct and civil rights violations. The plaintiff, Donta Palm, alleges that the City of Akron, its police department, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and several named officers engaged in a pattern of abuse spanning over a decade.
The complaint filed by Donta Palm outlines a harrowing series of events beginning in 2012 when he was allegedly assaulted by his then-girlfriend. Despite visible injuries and evidence of the assault, responding officers refused to arrest the assailant due to her familial connections within law enforcement. This incident marked the start of what Palm describes as ongoing retaliation for his attempts to report police misconduct. “Defendants’ conduct was intentional, malicious, retaliatory, and racially discriminatory,” Palm asserts in his filing.
Palm’s allegations extend beyond physical altercations to include claims of false arrests, denial of access to legal recourse, and interference with custody proceedings concerning his daughter. He accuses law enforcement officers of providing false testimony in court to undermine his parental rights. Furthermore, Palm claims that confidential records were unlawfully obtained and used against him to portray him as mentally unfit—a violation he argues contravenes both the Fourteenth Amendment and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The lawsuit seeks declaratory relief acknowledging the constitutional violations alleged by Palm, alongside compensatory damages for physical injuries and emotional distress. Additionally, punitive damages are sought against individual defendants for their purported willful misconduct. Palm also requests injunctive relief to prevent further retaliation or discrimination against him.
Representing himself pro se in this complex case is Donta Palm from Akron. The case is presided over by Judge Adams with Magistrate Judge Knapp assisting. It bears the Case ID: 5:26-cv-00341-JRA.
Source: 526cv00341_Palm_v_City_of_Akron_Complaint_Northern_District_Ohio.pdf
