Fourth Amendment

Iowa Man Seen in Viral Body Camera Footage Wins $105,000 Wrongful Arrest Lawsuit

After nearly four years of legal battles, Tayvin Galanakis has finally won his case against the officers who arrested him for allegedly driving while intoxicated without probable cause.

Autumn Billings | 6.11.2026 3:46 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Illustration: Newton Police Department/Alain Lacroix/Dreamstime)

A federal jury in Iowa awarded $105,000 to a former college student late last week after officers wrongfully arrested him for driving under the influence without probable cause. The award comes nearly four years since the Fourth Amendment-violating traffic stop went viral. 

On a rainy night in August 2022, Tayvin Galanakis, a then-19-year-old member of the William Penn University football team, was stopped by officers in Newton, Iowa, for driving with his high beams on within city limits. Body camera footage of the stop shows Galanakis explain that he was using his high beams because one of his headlights was out and turning them off when other cars approached. 

It was the first time he had ever been pulled over, and Galanakis was slow to find his up-to-date registration and insurance........

© Reason.com