Settlements

According to an analysis of data provided by the Austin City Law Department, between 2013 and 2015, Austin paid an average of $1.1 million annually in settlement payouts, including for police misconduct.

According to an analysis of data provided by the El Paso City Attorney, between 2013 and 2015, El Paso paid an average of $960K annually in lawsuit settlements, including for police misconduct.

In 2016, local news channel NBC 7 reviewed every lawsuit involving the San Diego Police Department since 2008. It determined that taxpayers paid more than $25 million since 2008 to settle lawsuits against the department. Specifically, settlement payouts ranged from $1.1 million (in 2008), nearly $5 million (in 2013), and $9.5 million (in 2015). According to NBC 7’s analysis, the department settled an average of 177 claims per year, and the biggest individual payouts involved police misconduct allegations.

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.

In 2015, The Boston Globe reported that the City of Boston spent more than $36 million to remedy 2,000 legal claims and lawsuits filed against the Boston Police Department since 2005. Twenty-two of the payouts were worth over $100,000, including nine worth over $1 million.

In 2015, Fairfax County, Virginia agreed to pay $2.95 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of John Geer, who was shot and killed by a county police officer in 2013.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the District of Columbia spent $30.5 million on police misconduct cases. A separate analysis conducted by The Washington Post determined that the city spent $31.6 million between 2005 and 2016 on court judgments or settlements in 173 cases alleging police misconduct.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Houston spent $3.2 million on police misconduct cases.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Dallas spent $6.9 million on police misconduct cases.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Philadelphia spent $54.3 million on police misconduct cases.

A 2015 analysis revealed that Nassau County spent over $100 million on lawsuit settlements and judgments between 2006 and 2013. The assessment included an analysis of 2,709 individual payments, and included, but were not limited to, incidents of police misconduct.

According to a 2015 analysis, Suffolk County, New York paid $37.4 million on lawsuit settlements and judgments between 2006 and 2013, including for police misconduct suits.

Between 2011 and 2013, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police paid more than $5 million in legal settlements. This includes a $1.7 million settlement awarded to the estate of Trevon Cole who was shot and killed by police during a raid; a $1 million settlement awarded to the relatives of Dustin Boone, who died due to a chokehold used by officers; and a $1.5 million settlement for Dwayne Jackson, who was wrongfully convicted and served four years in prison due to a DNA mix-up.

In 2012, Prince George’s County, Maryland agreed to pay a settlement total of $3.6 million to 10 University of Maryland students who alleged they were wrongfully arrested, and several assaulted, following local riots in 2010.

In 2010, the City of Atlanta paid the family of Kathryn Johnston—a 92-year-old woman who was killed during an illegal raid of her home—a $4.9 million settlement. A local news source also determined that Atlanta paid out nearly $4 million in 22 legal settlements involving the Atlanta Police Department from 2015 to 2018.

In 2010, the City of Fort Worth paid $2 million to the family of Michael Jacobs, Jr., who died as a result of two taser shocks administered by police during an altercation in April 2009.

In 2009, DeKalb County, Georgia reached a settlement of $165,000 with a homeless man who claimed that a police officer drove the man to neighboring Rockdale County and ordered him out of the car. When the man refused, a physical altercation ensued between the two. Ultimately, Officer Ronald Jones was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, and violating his oath of office.