Seattle, Washington

Fifty protesters and journalists filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department for excessive force during BLM protests in summer 2020, and the King County Superior Court of Washington approved a $10 million monetary payment to the plaintiffs. The protesters represented in this case experienced a range of debilitating injuries, including cardiac arrest, a seizure and coma, a partially blown-off finger, permanent hearing loss, broken bones, concussions, and wounds. The plaintiffs also asked the City for non-monetary provisions, such as ordering the City to make a full accounting of the changes that have occurred because of the protests. In a related development, the Seattle Office of Inspector General’s final report on the summer 2020 protests put forth twenty-two recommendations for the Seattle Police Department to improve communication with media and legal observers, improve crowd management, increase police accountability, and more. 

In June 2017, two Seattle police officers were responding to Lyles’ 911 call to report a burglary. Officers alleged that she had staged the burglary and that she suddenly lunged at them with a knife, prompting them to fatally shoot her with her children nearby. Following her death, family members filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that the officers had failed to use nonlethal force to disarm Lyles. After a state Court of Appeals agreed with the Lyles’ family, the city settled the case for $3.5 million.

Taylor was killed by plainclothes police officers when they fired upon him outside his home. The officers, Michael Spaulding and Scott Miller, claimed they believed their lives to be in danger when they encountered Taylor, who they tried to arrest for unlawful possession of a handgun. Evidence in the case raised doubt about the officers’ claims that Taylor was armed.

In 2015, the City of Seattle paid nearly $2 million to Nathaniel Caylor, who was shot in the face by police. It was the largest excessive force settlement in the city’s history.