Settlements

Scott, a Black man, was unarmed when Officer John Lee fatally shot him on February 4, 2016. Lee said he believed Scott was holding a firearm, but Scott was only holding a cell phone. Lee was never criminally charged for Scott’s killing, and he left the San Antonio Police Department in 2020.

Morales and his girlfriend were in a car on South Monitor Street when Cabrera—who was off duty and not in uniform—asked them if they needed help. The couple refused, and instead circled the block to find Cabrera still following them. Cabrera then yelled at them to leave. Morales got out of the car and went to speak to Cabrera, but Cabrera placed Morales in a chokehold, punched him, and fired his pistol at Morales. Cabrera later told a 911 dispatcher that Morales attacked him and knocked him to the ground, but an eyewitness disputed this account. Cabrera was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggregated discharge of a firearm, false reporting, and obstruction. He was stripped of police powers and later resigned from the force.

The case was settled for $300,000. In 2020, Bond was shot and injured by a police projectile during a protest in response to the murder of George Floyd by police. Bond claimed that he had been peacefully protesting and following officers’ orders, but he still had to use a tennis racket and a salad bowl as shields against the officers’ projectiles. This lawsuit was one of many filed against the LAPD that spurred reforms such as new training in the use of projectiles. 

Cox alleged that he had been “kicked, punched, pepper-sprayed, and falsely arrested by Westover officers” because he had been using his phone camera to record the officers as they drove by. Cox sustained a facial fracture as a result of the beating. Although the officers involved had apparently misplaced Cox’s phone, the interaction was caught on a nearby surveillance camera. Two years later, Cox’s phone was found in the department’s evidence room.  

On New Year’s Day in 2019, officers Dalton and Fecsko came to Howton’s apartment, responding to a call. The officers and Howton got into a verbal disagreement, which led to officers removing Howton from the doorway. Fecsko proceeded to beat him, causing bone fractures and breaking three of his teeth. The officers then charged Howton with battery and three other charges, all of which were eventually dropped.

In 2020, King came to Nichols’ front porch. King claimed that Nichols ignored his orders and reached for a gun, which was actually a decorative BB gun. In her lawsuit, Fields noted that the BB gun was used as a decorative spindle in the porch railing, which King should have known based on prior visits to the property. King, who was not wearing a body camera despite a policy requiring it, shot Nichols three times. King was not indicted for the shooting, and as of April 2022, he was still employed by Roane County and was one of their highest-paid sheriffs. 

The case was settled for $250,000. Slocum claimed that the department and the town did not accommodate his disabilities—migraine headaches, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. After Slocum disclosed his disabilities, people around him raised their concerns about whether he “posed a significant threat” to himself or others, leading to an internal affairs investigation that placed Slocum on administrative leave for months. He also claimed that he was retaliated against because of these disabilities and the treatments he used to alleviate symptoms. 

Bryant was convicted of murdering Toni Bullock, a sixteen-year-old girl, in 1998 and spent seventeen years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. He was later exonerated through the use of DNA evidence in 2016, but he passed away within a year of his release from prison. His family later filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore Police Department, Ritz, and Verger, arguing that they did not disclose exculpatory evidence and destroyed evidence that would have proved Bryant’s innocence. 

Johnson claimed that Ayala was speeding and failed to keep a lookout for pedestrians, and he fractured both of Johnson’s knees after running him over. Ayala claimed that this was because he and his partner had been following another SUV that was driving recklessly with no headlights on. However, Deputy Corporation Counsel Mimi Ruether said that Ayala’s crash report did not include any accounts of the other SUV. Neither the police car nor the officers had camera equipment.

In September 2020, Churna called 911 and said that a stalker was trying to kill her. Officers who arrived at her apartment suspected that Churna may have been experiencing mental health issues. The officers asked Churna whether she owned a firearm. Churna complied with officers’ demands to get on the ground, but officers fired their guns at her. She was shot by Officer Daniel Mendoza while face down on the ground and unarmed. The medical examiner later recovered six rifle bullets from her body and ruled her death a homicide. 

The Minneapolis City Council approved a $50,000 settlement in April 2022. In March 2021, McKizzie, who was seventeen years old at the time, was exercising at a gym when he heard loud noises and went outside to investigate. As McKizzie tried to cross a street, Officer William Gregory stopped him, shoved him aggressively, and punched him. Other officers grabbed McKizzie by his hoodie and pulled him, then pinned him to the ground and handcuffed him. Officers took him to a local detention center and later sent him to a hospital in an ambulance, using two sets of handcuffs. McKizzie was subsequently taken back to the detention center but was never charged. This incident was recorded by both the officers’ body cameras and a civilian, and an internal affairs investigation was launched soon after. 

In June 2020, a dozen activists filed a civil suit claiming that the Denver Police Department used excessive force during protests against police brutality and racial injustice. A federal judge issued a temporary injunction barring the Police Department from using tear gas, plastic bullets, flash-bang grenades, and other “less-than-lethal” force unless approved by a senior officer in response to specific acts of violence. After a three-week trial, a jury ruled in favor of the activists. While Denver had previously settled civil complaints due to police violence during the 2020 protests, this was the first in the nation to go to trial.

In March 2017, Hardy filed a report with the Nome Police Department claiming that she had been raped in her home. Hardy filed the complaint with Lieutenant Nick Harvey, but her complaint did not get a case number. Upon following up with the Police Department later, action still was not taken. After a third attempt, she learned that her accusation had never been escalated, and a year and a half later, the assailant had not been charged. Hardy filed a suit and was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska. The settlement included $750,000 in compensation and an apology issued by the City of Nome. Hardy said she believed that her case was just one of many sexual assault reports by Alaskan Native women that were backlogged by the Nome Police Department.

In March 2020, thirty-three-year-old Manuel Ellis was stopped by police officers in Tacoma, Washington, while he was walking home from a convenience store with a box of doughnuts and a bottle of water. Witnesses reported that the officers attacked him without provocation. Three officers held Ellis to the ground on his chest by kneeling, despite Ellis expressing that he could not breathe. Two Pierce County sheriffs responded to the scene and assisted in handcuffing and hogtying Ellis. Ellis’ family filed a federal lawsuit over his death, and they reached a settlement with Pierce County in March 2022. 

Salas-Sanchez, who was twenty-two years old at the time of his death, was shot and killed by Officer Mando Kenneth Gomez. The responding officers claimed that Salas-Sanchez was holding a box cutter when he lunged at officers, but he was actually holding a brake pad. Lawyers for the Salas-Sanchez family disputed the officers’ version of events and pointed out that the medical examiner’s report showed that Salas-Sanchez was shot three times in the back, indicating that he was running away from the officers. Officer Gomez was acquitted of manslaughter charges in 2019. 

In October 2017, an alleged altercation broke out outside of ZAR Nightclub. Officers claimed that Redrick was arguing with a group of men and eventually pointed a loaded firearm at them. Officer John Turnure then approached Redrick and shot him several times. Following the shooting, Pruiett allegedly grabbed Redrick’s gun and shot at Turnure, and Turnure shot Pruiett several times. Pruiett claimed that he and his brother had been getting something to eat when someone picked a fight with them, and therefore Redrick was acting in self-defense. Pruiett was acquitted of a charge of felonious assault against a police officer, and Redrick was found guilty of a misdemeanor for inducing panic. Turnure was cleared of charges, and the brothers reached a settlement. 

After another officer claimed he smelled marijuana on a passenger, Officer Tyler Gelnett ordered Coates out of the vehicle and inappropriately searched her, placing his hands in her “crotch area” and inside of her underwear. The City of Louisville agreed to pay $50,000 to settle Coates’ lawsuit in March 2022.

Minneapolis Police Department officers fired rubber bullets at protesters without warning during a 2020 protest in response to George Floyd’s murder, with one rubber bullet shooting out Stevenson’s eye. Stevenson bled for months and suffered permanent damage, and he subsequently sued the department. This lawsuit was one of many 2020 general liability claims that an actuarial study estimated could cost Minneapolis more than $111 million, $84 million of which stemmed from thirteen officer misconduct claims tied to incidents within fifteen days of Floyd’s death.

In May 2020, Megan Matthews was at a protest when an officer fired a rubber bullet at her, resulting in two surgeries to repair various injuries to her head. Two days later, Youssef Amghar, a Marine veteran, was protesting in Denver when the police shot pepper balls and threw tear gas canisters at them. Amghar and other protesters sued the City. In February 2022, the Denver City Council agreed to settle Matthews’ case for $575,000 and their portion of Amghar’s case for $250,000. 

Atlanta Police officers stopped Goldring and accused her of jaywalking in October 2015. The officers arrested her, allegedly while using an anti-trans slur, and accused her of trafficking cocaine in a stress ball. Although Goldring’s lawyer asserted that the officers’ tests came back negative for cocaine, Goldring was charged with cocaine trafficking and spent six months in a male jail, where she was assaulted. Goldring was released and had charges dismissed after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ran additional tests that came back negative. A federal jury required Atlanta to pay Goldring $1.5 million.

Smith was homeless and asked officers to take him to the hospital. While waiting for an ambulance to arrive, several officers threw Smith to the ground and hogtied him—restraining both his arms and legs and then binding them together. Smith was unable to breathe, cried out for help, and died shortly after. Smith’s family filed a lawsuit, leading to the $2.57 million settlement. City records revealed that seven of the eight officers involved in Smith’s case later received merit pay increases. 

Officers attempted to question Bailey in 2019 about an alleged robbery and shot him in the back as he ran away. He died as a result of those gunshots. Despite agreeing to the settlement resulting from a lawsuit brought by Bailey’s parents, the Police Department maintained that the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing.

In February 2016, Officer Gregg Bigda and other officers arrested a group of teenagers who were suspected of stealing an unmarked police car. A video showed Bigda yelling profanities at the teenagers and claiming he could plant drugs on them and kill them in a parking lot. Bigda was acquitted of criminal charges of excessive force and abusive interrogation following the incident, but the arrested teenagers also brought two civil cases. One case was settled for an undisclosed sum on February 3, 2022. As of February 2022, the other case was still pending and Bigda was on paid leave due to the investigation. 

It also requires that previously affected journalists be paid a total of $825,000. The ACLU-MN originally brought the case as a result of journalists being attacked and arrested by MSP officers during the racial justice protests in 2020 and 2021 following the murder of George Floyd. The $825,000 settlement and a permanent injunction by a federal judge prevent MSP officers from arresting or threatening to arrest journalists, seizing recording equipment, and telling journalists to disperse. The settlement also requires the deployment of a media ombudsman and liaison during future civil unrest. 

Officers responded to a call alleging that Spiers was engaging in domestic violence toward his girlfriend. While officers found no evidence of any attack, Officer Terrance Stangel beat Spiers with a baton and broke two of his bones. Stangel faced criminal charges for his actions, and Spiers was awarded $700,000 in court. A federal judge imposed sanctions on the City for withholding evidence in the case. The case is believed to be the first criminal trial of a police officer in San Francisco for on-the-job use of force. Stangel was charged with four different felonies: battery with serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, and assault under color of authority. A jury later acquitted Stangel of the first three charges and failed to reach a consensus on the fourth charge, which resulted in a mistrial.