1) bringing a lawsuit costs a LOT of money, and effectively prosecuting it costs even more--fees can run into the 10s of thousands of dollars. Not many OCers have that kind of dough to bring such suits--even if they are righteous, an pretty much guaranteed to win,
100% BS. This is only possibly true if you have a lawyer, which is not a requirement of suing. The fee to file in Federal is $350, which is only what a reasonably priced handgun costs today. Money or lack thereof is no excuse. Worst case, file in forma paupis and convince the court you are broke. You can file for free. If you don't want to sue, then just say you don't want to do it
2) few attorneys are willing to take such cases on contingency, and want fees up-front or as-they-go, and again, few OCers have that sort of disposable income,
Possible, but no less irrelevant. Lawyers are not a guarantee of a win, nor are they the most efficient method of suing. Money is not an excuse.
3) few Judges will hear such cases, even if they are righteous, and often just refuse to give them a hearing. and
Just silly and not true. Judges will hear the cases, especially if they are righteous. They WILL give them a trial if the case even gets that far. Most will settle before that point.
4) cops lie, so unless you have video of them breaking the law and outright abusing your civil rights. such cases are difficult to prove. And in some states (like MD), recording a cop during such a situation will get you charged with Felony Wiretapping...
A charge that won't stick. Recording a cop in a street encounter simply isn't illegal under MD law, period. Record the incident and hang them if/when they try to lie.
The REAL question I have for such cases is why ANYONE would "settle" for any dollar amount rather than go to trial.
Because trial is anything but a sure thing, and you may wind up on the wrong end of the case law argument, then you have appeals...and it can get really long and drawn out.
I never understand when reading the multitude of stories on this site and others of OC'ers, and even CC'ers, being detained, stripped of the gun, serial numbers run, and all kind of other crap, why know one sues LEOs in federal court for 4th amendment violations.
Because they are lazy and/or have misperceptions about lawsuits and how the law works in court. no, you aren't over reacting, but to most people, the process is intimidating.