Settlements

Spokane Police Department officers stated that they opened fire because they believed that Kamo, who was holding a knife and his toddler nephew, was threatening to harm the child. Kamo’s family filed a $23 million tort claim alleging that police rushed into the situation without taking adequate time to understand what was happening—particularly due to language barriers—before shooting Kamo six times. Kamo, who was grieving the recent death of his brother, was the only fluent English speaker at home at the time of the incident. Prosecutors decided not to charge the officers.

The four men spent a combined seventy-three years in prison after police allegedly coerced them into false murder confessions in 1995, when they were teenagers. They were exonerated in 2017 after forensic evidence proved they were not connected to the murders. The payout, among the largest in Chicago’s history, stemmed from lawsuits filed in 2018 alleging that police withheld exculpatory evidence and coerced their confessions, despite the lack of any physical evidence linking them to the crime. The lawsuit named thirteen police officers, none of whom had been criminally charged, a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney, Cook County, and the City of Chicago. Between 2008 and June 2024, lawsuits stemming from reversed convictions had cost Chicago nearly $329 million.

The settlement resolved a federal lawsuit alleging that Officer Thomas Wilson, who since retired, used excessive force when he responded to a 911 call reporting that there was a man with a gun in the home. Police claimed that Callahan attacked Wilson, who then shot him. A jury sided with the County when the case went to trial in 2015, but the Callahan family appealed. A new trial was set for June 2024 before the parties reached the settlement.

The lawsuit followed a February 2018 incident in which Riggen pulled over and arrested Bombard for alleged “disorderly conduct” after Bombard cursed at Riggen and gave him the middle finger, actions protected by the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit, filed in 2021 with support from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont, revealed that the Vermont State Police lacked a general First Amendment policy or training for its officers. Following widespread backlash over the original incident, police issued Bombard another citation for disorderly conduct in December 2023. They dropped the charges the next day. As part of the settlement, Bombard agreed not to pursue additional claims related to the later incident.

Marin and her sister had parked at a McDonald’s with two young children when Officer Matthew Rodriguez and Officer Tyler Moran approached them with guns drawn, mistakenly suspecting the vehicle was linked to a prior case. Although Marin complied with the officers’ instructions, Rodriguez allegedly kicked her, pushed her to the ground, handcuffed her, and dragged her across the pavement. Marin suffered soft tissue damage and bruising. A resisting arrest charge was later dropped. A viral cellphone video recorded by a passerby contradicted Rodriguez’s report claiming that Marin was “arrested without incident,” prompting Internal Affairs to seek security footage. Rodriguez was criminally charged with a misdemeanor assault under the color of authority and placed on paid leave, while Moran left the Police Department. The same officers were also involved in a similar excessive force case days earlier, in which Anthony Cho suffered head injuries and ultimately received a $200,000 settlement in 2023.

According to the lawsuit, Duluth Police officers who were responding to a domestic disturbance call did not identify themselves or provide any warning before Officer Tyler Leibfried fired six shots through a closed door, one of which struck Fyle in the shoulder. Officers then allegedly failed to inform paramedics or Fyle himself about who had shot him. Police did not find any guns or ammunition in Fyle’s apartment. Leibfried was charged but later acquitted in the shooting. Fyle’s lawsuit alleged that police violated his Fourth Amendment rights and that the City failed to properly train Leibfried on use-of-force protocols.

In September 2022, the twenty-year-old woman was seriously injured when a freight train struck a parked police vehicle she was handcuffed inside. The crash occurred after Platteville Police Sergeant Pablo Vazquez pulled over Rios for a road rage incident and parked his patrol car on railroad tracks. Fort Lupton Police Officer Jordan Steinke, who had arrived to help, placed Rios in the back of the patrol car. Soon after, a train collided with the vehicle, causing Rios serious injuries, including severe head trauma. Steinke and Vazquez were both convicted of reckless endangerment and sentenced to probation. Steinke was also found guilty of assault and fired from her job. Rios’s lawsuit accused the officers of being reckless and failing to protect her while she was in their custody.

Dobson, who led the Opa-locka Police Department from 2016 until his dismissal in 2020, claimed that former city officials, including then-Mayor Matthew Pigatt and commissioners John Riley and Alvin Burke, attempted to influence police personnel decisions, interfere with investigations, and shield friends and relatives from law enforcement. Dobson alleged that he was threatened after resisting political pressure, and he filed multiple complaints. Dobson said the settlement helped restore his reputation, which was damaged by the public nature of his termination.

Sheriff’s deputies confronted and forcibly detained Heikkola in January 2023 after he attempted to use a drop box for unwanted prescription drugs at the Kuna Police Station. Heikkola alleged that deputies violated his civil rights by restraining him and interrogating him without reading his rights, and that they did not allow him to clean up after he soiled himself due to factors related to a recent surgery. A judge later dismissed a charge against Heikkola of resisting or obstructing officers, concluding that there was no basis for the stop or detention. As part of the settlement, the Sheriff’s Office agreed to conduct training on respecting constitutional rights. 

On May 31, 2019, officers Christopher Buske and Leonard Brown pulled over Moore for playing music too loudly, and they forcibly arrested him after he refused to exit his vehicle. Moore alleged in the lawsuit that his constitutional rights were violated and that the officers punched him, pinned him to the ground with a knee on his neck, and taunted him. A video of the incident, which showed the officers pulling Moore from his car, sparked local protests and demands for police reform. While then-Police Chief Kenton Buckner cleared the officers of excessive force, he found that they both violated the Syracuse Police Department’s policy on demeanor in a traffic stop. Moore’s misdemeanor resisting arrest charge was later dropped, and he paid a $75 fine for the noise violation.

In December 2021, officers arrested Chavez, who had post-traumatic stress disorder, for an alleged misdemeanor of simple battery and placed her in a holding cell at the police station. Despite warning officers about her mental health, Chavez was left in a cell without continuous monitoring and died by hanging. Her family alleged that the Chicago Police Department failed to accommodate Chavez’s mental health needs. 

Quinto’s family had called 911 seeking help, but instead, police restrained Quinto in a prone position. He became unresponsive and died three days later in a hospital. The federal excessive force lawsuit named the City, then-Police Chief Tammany Brooks, and four officers as defendants. Quinto’s death prompted significant local reforms, including the deployment of police body cameras, the creation of a mental health crisis response team, and the establishment of a police review commission. 

The lawsuit, Payne et al. v. Mayor Bill de Blasio et al., named both City officials and individual NYPD officers for their roles in alleged indiscriminate and unconstitutional use of force against peaceful demonstrators. In addition to monetary damages, the settlement included significant injunctive relief as part of a broader legal agreement reached in 2023 that mandated sweeping reforms. These included improved documentation and oversight of NYPD deployments at demonstrations, with compliance monitored by an independent committee.

Perez had reported his seventy-one-year-old father missing, but detectives soon turned their suspicions on him based on small blood stains and an alert from a corpse-sniffing dog. The lawsuit alleged that during the seventeen-hour interrogation at the police station, officers falsely told Perez his father was dead, denied him sleep and medication, and threatened to euthanize his dog. In psychological distress, Perez falsely confessed to stabbing his father. He then attempted suicide when he was left alone in the interrogation room, and he was subsequently hospitalized. Police later found his father alive at an airport. Perez filed a lawsuit in 2019 alleging that the Fontana Police had violated his due process rights, as well as his constitutional rights against unreasonable search and seizure and excessive force. As of May 2024, three involved officers remained on the force, and one had retired.

The incident, captured on body camera footage, occurred during a protest following the murder of George Floyd by police. Montemayor was moving slowly with his hands up, posing no threat, when a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer shot him at close range. He required emergency surgery to repair his testicle and suffered long-term physical and psychological effects. The settlement, which at the time was the largest over the LAPD’s 2020 protest response, followed findings by the Los Angeles Police Commission that the shooting was unjustified.

Gadson, a Black Navy veteran, alleged that Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) officers violently beat him without warning during a 2022 traffic stop. Although the CSPD claimed that Gadson resisted arrest and reached for a knife, body camera footage sparked public concern. The CSPD cleared the officers of wrongdoing following internal investigations, but two of the three officers involved were reprimanded. The district attorney’s office dropped all charges against Gadson in early 2023, except for a $15 fine related to a license plate violation. National civil rights attorneys representing Gadson said the settlement sent a message about police accountability.

The women alleged years of sexual harassment, including unwanted touching, sexist remarks, and retaliation for reporting misconduct. They also claimed that male officers were favored in assignments and promotions. Individual payouts included $1.1 million to Senior Police Officer Tracy Rhoads, $450,000 to Senior Police Officer Jessica Bastian, $437,500 to Captain Cynthia Donahue, and $387,500 to Public Safety Digital Evidence Specialist Shannon Duffy. The City also agreed to significant reforms, such as a third-party review of the City’s harassment policies, investigations of internal complaints, updated promotion processes, and training enhancements.

Cronin was accused of a sexual assault that occurred in 2019, when he was a minor. He alleged that he was arrested in 2022 and charged with sexual assault based on an incomplete and mishandled police investigation. In 2023, a judge dismissed the City’s charges against Cronin due to a lack of probable cause. Cronin’s attorneys then claimed that police failed to secure exculpatory social media messages and that the detective (who was later suspended and subsequently resigned) never completed the investigation. The same officer failed to complete investigations into at least forty-five other cases between 2019 and 2022. The City later reformed its case management system and internal policies. Half the settlement would be paid by the City’s insurance carrier, and the other half would come from the City’s Property and Casualty Fund.

Hollman, a sixty-two-year-old deacon, died after Atlanta Police Officer Kiran Kimbrough used a Taser on him following a minor car crash in August 2023. Hollman refused to sign a citation stating that he was at fault for the crash, which escalated into a struggle when Kimbrough attempted to arrest him. Hollman repeatedly said he could not breathe, but Kimbrough nonetheless pinned him to the ground and deployed a Taser on him. Hollman became unresponsive and was pronounced dead at a hospital. An autopsy ruled the death a homicide caused by cardiac dysrhythmia from the Taser and underlying heart disease. In response to the incident, the City implemented new policies, including launching a civilian response unit for some calls for service and eliminating arrest requirements for refusing to sign a traffic citation. In October 2023, Kimbrough was fired for failing to follow arrest protocols.

Robinson died at the age of sixty-two in January 2019 after police officers pulled him from a car and allegedly beat him during a search for a murder suspect. Robinson, who had recently suffered a stroke, died two days later from brain bleeding. Robinson’s family sued the City in October 2019, and the Jackson City Council approved the settlement in April 2024. Robinson’s sister then sought to continue legal action, claiming the City violated a confidentiality agreement. However, on May 31, 2024, Circuit Judge Faye Peterson ruled that the sister’s arguments did not have merit and that the settlement was legally binding. Two officers were charged with second-degree murder in Robinson’s death, but those charges were later dropped. A third officer was convicted of culpable negligence manslaughter in 2022 before the Mississippi Court of Appeals overturned his conviction in 2024.

In 2019, officers were chasing a fifteen-year-old carjacking suspect, D’Shaun McNear, when his vehicle fatally hit thirteen-year-old Chappman as she was walking from her school to the library. An investigation by the City’s Office of Professional Standards found that officers reached speeds of ninety miles per hour in a thirty-five zone, and it recommended disciplinary action against several officers, including the driver of the lead police car and supervisory staff. However, Cleveland Police ultimately disciplined only two officers. The City cited the potential costs of a trial in its decision to settle. Chappman’s mother, Sherrie Chappman, expressed hope that the case would prevent future tragedies by curbing unsafe police chases.

Williams was among the most prominent witnesses who testified in former Officer Derek Chauvin’s 2021 murder trial. In his lawsuit filed in 2023, Williams alleged that police assaulted him while he was attempting to stop Floyd’s killing, and that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The lawsuit, filed in 2018, alleged that the practice violated their religious rights and caused emotional distress. Clark stated that she felt “naked” and “violated” when forced to uncover. In 2020, the New York City Police Department agreed to change its policy on religious head coverings. The settlement provided compensation of up to $13,000 each for more than 3,600 similarly affected individuals who were arrested between March 2014 and August 2021.

On October 8, 2020, Sutherland called 911 while experiencing a mental health crisis. Responding officers Ronald Zalunardo and John Afanasiev handcuffed Sutherland and restrained him in the prone position outside a convenience store, with Afanasiev applying pressure to his back, before Sutherland died. While the official cause of death cited methamphetamine intoxication and cardiac arrest, a second autopsy commissioned by the family concluded that Sutherland died due to positional asphyxia and ruled his death a homicide. The family’s federal civil rights lawsuit alleged wrongful death, negligence, and excessive use of force. Although California passed a law in 2021 banning police from using maneuvers that put people at significant risk of positional asphyxia, Stockton Police Department policies as of March 2024 stated that experts continued to debate positional and restraint asphyxia.

The lawsuit, filed in 2021 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Kansas Appleseed on behalf of the youth advocacy group Progeny, alleged that police added individuals to the list without notice and with no requirement that individuals be suspected of a criminal offense. Police allegedly added people to the list based on vague and racially biased criteria, such as their clothing, tattoos, or attendance at certain funerals. Under the terms of the settlement, $550,000 went to the plaintiffs, and $75,000 was designated to fund a “special master” to provide third-party oversight of the list for three years. The Wichita Police also revised its policy so that officers must witness suspected criminal gang activity multiple times before listing someone, and officers cannot consider attending events like funerals or family gatherings to be a criminal activity.