"It's bad enough to have law enforcement officers brutalize someone in their own front yard for no reason," [Lee's lawyer, Edward] Czuprynski said. "Worse yet, however, when the rogue cops retaliate by resurrecting a phony felony charge against that person because he sued them for the injustice he suffered at their hands."

The drug squad's commander admits that he asked prosecutors to reinstate the charges, and the prosecutor admits that the lawsuit put Lee "back on the radar." But it's not retaliation, they say, because they always intended to reinstate the prosecution.

Really? It was just, um, overlooked for a year? And why didn't the cops show up when they had a chance to make a case against Lee? Were they reluctant to tell their story under oath when there was nothing at stake? Did a case that lay dormant for a year suddenly attain prosecutive merit? If it walks like retaliation and quacks like retaliation ....