Walsh, Paterno Downplay Coaching Matchup 
12-7-92

Boy's Needs Are Loud And Clear 
A Mom's In A Financial Jam 
After Quitting Work To Care For 
Her Hearing-impaired Son 
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Photo 
Times Leader/don Carey

By DAWN SHURMAITIS; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, December 06, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: O'BOYLE WILKES-BARREY
CITY POLICE 





A federal judge based in Williamsport has been assigned to preside over the
civil suit filed against the city of Wilkes-Barre and several city police
officers in connection with the death of a man who died while in police
custody. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Judge James McClure is one of seven federal judges in the U.S. District
Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania. The suit was filed in federal court in
Scranton be cause it's alleged the victim's civil rights were violated. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; James O'Boyle, 48, of Park Avenue, was discovered unconscious in a police
holding cell Sept. 14, 1991. He was rushed to Mercy Hospital and died the next
day of head wounds. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 O'Boyle was picked up for public drunkenness after he was seen staggering
on a city street. The suit was filed Nov. 12 on behalf of his mother, Regina,
a Mountaintop resident. It alleges at least one officer beat O'Boyle as one or
more officers watched. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The defendants had 20 days to reply to the allegations set forth in the
complaint but may have filed for an extension. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Their answers can be filed in any of three district courts: Scranton,
Williamsport or Harrisburg. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 According to court records, the plaintiff has requested and been granted a
jury trial. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A clerk in Judge McClure's office said the judge will schedule the trial
sometime after he receives the defendants answers to the complaint. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Larger cases generally take up to six months to get on the judge's
calendar, which means the O'Boyle case may not come up for trial until June. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the meantime, both attorneys will file motions and take depositions from
witnesses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mayor Lee Namey, Police Chief Joseph Coyne and five officers were sued in
the 25-page civil suit, which was filed by Wilkes-Barre attorneys Al Flora Jr.
and Demetrius Fannick. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The suit also names John Doe and Richard Roe, two fictional names allowing
the possible addition of other officers in the lawsuit.

O'boyle Death Case Nears Trial 
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File Photo 
James O'boyle 
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The Suit Alleges At Least One Wilkes-barre Police Officer Beat A City Man In 
1991 While One Or More Officers Watched

O'boyle Death Case Nears Trial ************** File Photo James O'boyle ************** The Suit Alleges At Least One Wilkes-barre Police Officer Beat A City Man In 1991 While One Or More Officers Watched

O'boyle Death Case Nears Trial File Photo James O'boyle The Suit Alleges At Least One Wilkes-barre Police Officer Beat A City Man In 1991 While One Or More Officers Watched