he idea that a state law protects you from being sued after a justified use of force is one of the biggest myths in self defense.
I can certainly concur with this.
One should also note that in shootings - and many use of physical force cases - involving law enforcement officers, the department/agency is
almost always sued by the victims' families, often when the permanently disabled or deceased "victim" was clearly engaged in criminal activity and evidence (including dashcam and bodycam footage) paints the incident as a justifiable shooting or use of force. Yet, settlements are routinely paid, and often, the plaintiffs even win. One suspects this is common in our more politically liberal jurisdictions and states.
I wish I could relate details about the last civil trial I was called to testify in, when our department was sued for a goodly sum. We could have lost (our people did screw up) but the plaintiff's attorney was criminally stupid and asked me a question that he shouldn't have (he didn't know the answer to his question, and you lawyers know what a mistake that is). Anyway, I apparently made the jury laugh when I had to answer honestly, and it pretty much screwed his case, which had been going well up til then, but he wanted to entertain the jury (definitely grandstanding) and paint us as idiots who didn't follow our own policies. Our government attorney (who probably wouldn't have made much money in the private sector or ever become a partner in a law firm) rebounded well, re-framed the issue and the plaintiff lost. The plaintiff's attorney lost his client several hundred thousand dollars (don't know why they didn't ask for more). In any event, use of force cases can be interesting when they go to trial. I've seen some hideously bad lawyering (is that a word?) by both sides, some inexplicable verdicts by juries and a couple judges whose cognitive abilities I questioned.
If any of you have Mas Ayoob, Andrew Branca or Marty Hayes on speed-dial, good for you. Going to civil litigation is a total crapshoot, and you've probably got better odds at a Vegas roulette table.