By Associated Press - Thursday, April 24, 2014

HOUSTON (AP) - A federal judge is urging all sides to work toward settling a former Houston Astros pitcher’s multimillion-dollar brutality lawsuit against Galveston police officers who beat him in 2008.

The Houston Chronicle (https://bit.ly/1kaM286) reports U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison urged settlement talks Thursday after the jury in the Brandon Backe (BA’-kee) police brutality suit reached an impasse in its deliberations in Houston.

The jury has deliberated three days on the claim made by the former Astros right-hander, who contends the beating ended his baseball career. Backe seeks up to $15 million in damages for injuries he says left him with limited use his pitching arm. Police contend the allegations are exaggerated and that any force used was justified.

Backe helped pitch the Astros to the 2005 National League pennant.

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Information from: Houston Chronicle, https://www.houstonchronicle.com

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