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Two Immokalee residents have agreed to dismiss a federal lawsuit that accused deputies of using excessive force and violating their civil rights in a traffic stop, federal records show. Raphael Jolis, 65, and Jeanne Jean, 48, had said in the nine-count civil complaint that they were roughed up, held for a long period of time and then either released without any reason given for the traffic stop or, in the case of Jolis, given a traffic citation that was later dismissed. According to federal court records, the parties have agreed to dismiss the lawsuit to work out an anticipated settlement to the case. Sam Gold, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, refused to say whether a settlement had been reached, the Naples Daily News reported Thursday. The lawsuit originally named the Lee County Sheriff Rodney Shoap and Collier County Sheriff Don Hunter, but Collier County had been dropped from the suit Dec. 21. The suit alleged false imprisonment, excessive force, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil rights violations and negligence on the part of the deputies. Lee sheriff's officials had argued there was no evidence of any wrongdoing by deputies. Collier sheriff's had said they were helping Lee deputies search for burglary suspects. According to the suit, the two plaintiffs are of Haitian descent and speak little or no English. The suit claimed Jolis and Jean were riding in a van in far northeastern Collier on Aug. 30, 2000, when deputies blocked the road and forced them to exit the van. Deputies grabbed Jean, who was pregnant at the time, threw her to the ground and handcuffed her, then detained her without cause before releasing her, the suit alleged. Jolis, the driver, was grabbed and choked, forced out of the vehicle, thrown to the ground and handcuffed, the suit said. [more]