BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The City of Bellingham is on the hook for a multi-million-dollar payout after failing to properly act on domestic abuse by one of its former police officers.

A jury ordered the city to pay $2.25 million in damages to the ex-wife and children of former officer Brooks Laughlin following a two-week trial.

My Bellingham Now previously reported that Laughlin was found guilty on several counts of domestic abuse in December 2018.

Two of his ex-wives, Amanda DeBruin and Kyla Lanham, claim that the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office had notified Bellingham Police about Laughlin’s behavior prior to his initial arrest. They say the department didn’t take any action against Laughlin until his arrest despite additional evidence being submitted over the course of a year.

The jury awarded $1.5 million to DeBruin and $250,000 to each of Lanham’s three children who witnessed the abuse.

Laughlin’s initial 8-year sentence was reduced in 2021, and he was released from prison in 2023.