Shameless Portland man, 28, files $17.5m lawsuit against police after he got so high on magic mushrooms and marijuana that he burned all but two of his fingers off

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 15:45, 22 April 2026 | Updated: 15:47, 22 April 2026 A Portland man has filed an eight-figure lawsuit against police after consuming mushrooms and marijuana, then burning all but two of his fingers off. Michael Relloque IV, 28, told the US District Court for Oregon he had been meditating in front of a fire in November 2020 at his rental home in West Linn, a suburb 25 minutes south of Portland, after consuming mushrooms and marijuana, according to The Oregonian. Relloque testified that he felt 'very euphoric [and] peaceful,' calling the drug induced experience 'transcendental,' according to the outlet. That was before he fell into the fire while under the influence, suffering burns to about 30 percent of his body.  Relloque spent two weeks in a medically-induced coma and had eight fingers amputated, followed by years of arduous recovery, his lawyers said. Relloque sued the city of West Linn and three police officers, claiming they were negligent for not entering the rental home to help him while he was high. Attorney Lauren Nweze, representing the city and the police, argued that Relloque's burns were 'self-inflicted' and that officers had not acted unreasonably when they chose to leave.  Relloque sought about $6 million in economic damages to cover his medical expenses, long-term care and lost wages, as well as $12 million in damages for his pain and suffering, the outlet reported. Michael Relloque IV sued a Portland suburb and three police officers, alleging they were negligent for not entering his rental in 2020 while he was high on mushrooms and marijuana Relloque, 28, said he had shaved off his long hair during the mushroom and marijuana-fueled episode that led to about 30 percent of his body being burned That day, he had taken his clothes off, wrapped himself in a blanket and smoked cannabis from a bong. However, Relloque added that he did not remember what happened next, only 'waking up inside of a fire' without pain. 'I realized that I was in the fireplace and I probably should not be in the fireplace any longer and got out of it,' Relloque told jurors, according to The Oregonian, adding that he recalled a 'really bad burning smell' and that he 'knew that at some point I was in a fire and had burns.' The experience also led to him shaving off his long hair, which can be observed in before-and-after photos of Relloque. Relloque told the court that he did not remember consuming mushrooms, only mushroom tea. One day earlier, he had foraged for psychedelic mushrooms in the early hours of the morning. Relloque added that he had no memory of hearing police at his rental home, per the outlet. He did not realize what had happened to him until he woke up from a medically induced coma. Relloque, pictured after his burns, told jurors that he remembered ingesting mushroom tea but did not remember law enforcement going to his rental home An eight-person jury in the US District Court for Oregon tossed out Relloque's lawsuit against three West Linn police officers (pictured) on Tuesday On Tuesday, an eight-person jury in the US District Court for Oregon tossed out Relloque's suit after six days of testimony. One juror had previously passed out after the court was shown photos of the burns Relloque suffered to his arms, chest and face. West Linn's defense attorney, Nweze, said that police had repeatedly tried to find Relloque but had no evidence that he was facing an emergency. Law enforcement called his phone, yelled his name and climbed up a ladder while searching for him to no avail. 'Those are not the actions of a cold-hearted, indifferent police department who knowingly left someone in distress,' Nweze said, per The Oregonian. She told the court that a dangerous result could happen 'if you put yourself in an extremely compromised mental state and put yourself within a couple feet of an open flame.' Relloque's burns had come from his own 'pretty significant lapse in judgment,' Nweze added. Nweze also noted that Relloque told medical providers he 'fell' into the fire and had hit his head while under the influence of mushrooms and marijuana. Relloque was 'naked and standing at the top of stairs' while yelling 'I am god' during his episode, according to his roommate The incident resulting in Relloque's burns happened in November 2020 at a rental home in West Linn (pictured), a suburb of Portland A March 2025 legal filing viewed by the Daily Mail described how Relloque's roommate, Melissa Birdwell, called 911 shortly after midnight on November 14, 2020. When officers arrived, Birdwell allegedly told them that Relloque had been 'naked and standing at the top of stairs' while he yelled 'I am god.' Relloque also allegedly had 'what looked like ash or dirt on his chest and arms,' according to Birdwell, and 'he looked like he may have a burn or blood on his arm.' Birdwell also claimed she told the officers that Relloque had taken mushrooms. During her deposition, Birdwell said police told her that '[she] should let [Relloque] like ride out his high in the house and [she] go find somewhere else to stay for the night, and because [she] didn't know that if he were like armed or had a weapon, they didn't want to go into the house and have to use excessive force,' per the filing. 'They did mention that because of in lieu of like the current like state of the police riots and all of that, like they didn't want to have to do that, go in and use excessive force,' Birdwell's deposition continued. Relloque's burns happened months after the peak of the George Floyd protests, though demonstrations were still regular and ongoing. Ultimately, the officers determined that 'due to Relloque's unpredictable nature, the absence of a crime, and lack of knowledge that Relloque was an immediate danger to himself, the governmental interest was not high enough to enter the private residence absent additional information,' per the filing. The Daily Mail has reached out to Nweze, as well as Beth Creighton and Kristin Bell, Relloque's attorneys, for further comment. Another Portland man, Joshua Merkel, filed a lawsuit in March after he was beaten up by a store clerk for shoplifting (pictured) Last month, another unusual lawsuit was filed in Oregon when shoplifter Joshua Merkel sued Albertson's grocery store and cashier Matthew Cooper for allegedly attacking him outside the southwest Portland store. Merkel, 45, claimed Cooper, 31, went 'way too far' when he intercepted him, according to The Oregonian. A jury had already found the clerk not guilty of second-degree assault in a criminal case, but Merkel filed a civil lawsuit. Merkel claimed he shoplifted because he was 'ravenous,’ even though he took the time to fill his cart with T-bone steaks and frozen corn dogs which would have required extensive preparation. Cooper's defense attorney, Jason Steen, argued that Merkel intended to trade some of the shoplifted goods for methamphetamine. Merkel admitted using the drug at different points over the past decade but denied stealing the food because of that. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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