Milwaukee could be writing a $575,000 check to settle a federal lawsuit brought by science‑fiction author Patrick Tomlinson and his wife, who say they were repeatedly "swatted" and then searched by Milwaukee police during armed responses to bogus 911 calls. The proposed deal would resolve their claims that the city violated their Fourth Amendment rights when officers entered and searched their East Side home after those hoax emergencies.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, City Attorney Evan C. Goyke on May 19, 2026, recommended the $575,000 payout to settle the case. The lawsuit traces back to a series of false 911 calls that repeatedly brought Milwaukee officers, weapons drawn, to the couple's home and, at least once, led to a search of the residence.
Court Record Details a Pattern of Hoax Calls
A March 26, 2026 federal court order posted on Justia lays out a series of swatting calls that started in 2022. The order describes officers arriving in response to those false reports, handcuffing individuals and searching the home after some of the calls.
The filings also include internal Milwaukee Police Department memos and roll‑call notes. One detail the plaintiffs highlight: a request to flag the couple's address in the department's computer‑aided dispatch system was turned down, a decision they say weakens the city's defense in the case.
Mixed Rulings Push City Toward Settlement Talks
In that March order, Judge J.P. Stadtmueller granted in part and denied in part cross motions for summary judgment. Many claims against individual officers were thrown out, while municipal liability theories under Monell were left standing, according to the court record.
Under Milwaukee's usual process, settlement recommendations from the City Attorney's office go to the Common Council for review and a vote. Past correspondence from Evan C. Goyke to the council in other cases shows that this kind of letter is typically the first step toward closing out major litigation.
Legal Stakes for the City
The complaint brings civil‑rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and seeks to hold Milwaukee liable under Monell for allegedly failing to put in place practices that would cut down on repeat swatting responses at the same address. The federal filings reflect a split outcome so far, with several individual officers dismissed from the case and some municipal claims still alive, which court documents suggest gives both sides reasons to weigh a negotiated settlement.
Why Milwaukee Is Watching This One Closely
Swatting is not just a prank that wastes police time. It can be deadly, a point driven home nationwide after a 2017 swatting incident in Wichita ended in a fatal police shooting. In Milwaukee, local reporting has chronicled years of hoax calls and online harassment aimed at Tomlinson and his wife, a campaign that provides the factual backbone for this federal lawsuit.
If the Common Council follows the standard playbook and signs off on the City Attorney's recommendation, the $575,000 payment would resolve the couple's federal claims against Milwaukee and close this chapter of the case. City officials have been wrestling with both the technical and policy challenges of spotting likely swatting calls and responding differently to them, and whatever the council ultimately decides is likely to be viewed as a test of how Milwaukee balances officer safety with protections for residents who find themselves targeted again and again.
-2.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)