Sparks City Council members on Monday rejected a $1.2 million settlement offer from Maureen Hvegholm, an older woman injured in an altercation with a Sparks firefighter while she was feeding cats in an alleyway.
The rejection was approved unanimously by council members following 25 seconds of silence where it seemed no member would move the item forward. There was no discussion among council members on the agenda item before Council member Don Abbott finally motioned to reject the offer.
It’s the second settlement offer from Hvegholm that council members have rejected. In May, they rejected a $2 million settlement offer and voted to approve a counteroffer of $500,000. At Monday’s meeting, they rejected the settlement outright without making a counteroffer.
Hevgholm sued the City of Sparks and firefighter Timothy Egan following an incident on Dec. 8, 2022, in which Egan assaulted her while she was feeding cats in an alleyway where a Sparks Fire Department is located. She was 84 at the time of the incident and suffered a brain injury as a result.
A report completed by a consultant hired by the City of Sparks found that “Egan was responsible for creating the physical altercation between himself and Hvegholm,” and that he has initiated contact with her and used “disproportional force” by throwing her to the ground.
Egan was also found by the consultant to have lied to Sparks Police investigating the incident.
Gayla Ouellette, Hvegholm’s daughter, spoke during public comment and said that before the incident, her mother took a few medications for arthritis pain, but as a result of the assault has had a cascade of health issues. She disputed the implication conveyed in court documents produced by the city’s legal team that all of Hvegholm’s health issues are the result of age.
“Today she suffers from countless ailments: cognitive decline, confusion, memory loss, irritability, enormous sadness,” Ouellette said. “My mom cannot even remember most of her pets’ names … As we know her she has been taken from us.”
Ouellette said her mother also has chronic stress that led to a heart attack, balance issues and chronic pain. Hvegholm has had multiple falls and hospital visits since the incident, she said, and is required to take dozens of medications.
Hvegholm’s attorney, Luke Busby, submitted a “Life Care Plan” on May 3 of this year showing that the estimated cost of her current and future healthcare needs will top $2.7 million.
“Her age is not an escape from responsibility,” Ouellette said. “In fact, the law states as much. You don’t get to use that as a convenient way out. And nobody gets immunity when they lay their hands on people and they hurt them as a result.”
Ouellette’s comments were so impassioned that she continued well past her three-minute allotment. Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson called on police officers in the room to remove her from the meeting. She was ultimately allowed to stay but was escorted away from the podium.
Disclosure: Hvegholm is represented by attorney Luke Busby, who represents This Is Reno in public records litigation. He did not provide information or comment on this story.
