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U.S. NEWS Saturday 24 June 2017
Ferguson attorney: Brown family settlement $1.5 million

By JIM SALTER “The city is afraid that
Associated Press someone on that jury is a
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The $1.5 member of Black Lives Mat-
million awarded this week ter, even if the juror is Cau-
to the parents of Michael casian,” Cohen said.
Brown is the latest of sever- Settlements in some other
al large settlements involv- recent high-profile cases
ing killings of black people have been much higher
by police, but it’s far from than the amount awarded
the largest. to Brown’s parents.
A federal judge in St. Louis In 2015, the city of North
on Tuesday approved the Charleston, South Caro-
settlement in a wrongful lina, paid $6.5 million to the
death lawsuit filed by Mi- family of Walter Scott, an
chael Brown Sr. and Lezley unarmed black man who
McSpadden. Their 18-year- was killed by a white police
old son was unarmed on officer while running from
Aug. 9, 2014, when he was a traffic stop. The officer,
fatally shot by white offi- Michael T. Slager, pleaded
cer Darren Wilson during a guilty in May to a civil rights
street confrontation in Fer- violation. A month earlier,
guson, Missouri. Baltimore paid $6.4 mil-
The shooting launched lion to the family of Fred- In this Sept. 27, 2014, file photo, the parents of Michael Brown, Lezley McSpadden, left, and Mi-
months of protests and led die Gray, who suffered a chael Brown Sr., sit for an interview with The Associated Press in Washington.
to a U.S. Department of fatal spinal injury in police Associated Press
Justice investigation that custody. No officers were
found racial bias in Fergu- convicted. New York City
son’s police and court sys- reached a $5.9 million set-
tem. But a St. Louis County tlement in July 2015 with
grand jury and the Justice the family of Eric Garner,
Department declined to an unarmed black man
prosecute Wilson, who re- who died after being put
signed in November 2014. in a chokehold by a white
Brown’s parents sued the police officer. The officer
city, former Police Chief was cleared by a grand
Tom Jackson and Wilson in jury. Cleveland agreed to
2015, citing a police culture pay $6 million last year to
hostile to black residents the family of Tamir Rice.
and claiming Wilson used The 12-year-old had an
excessive force. Ferguson, airsoft gun that shoots non-
Jackson and Wilson denied lethal plastic pellets when
the allegations. a white officer shot him in
The case is among many 2014. A grand jury did not
in which settlements have charge the officer.
been reached out of court, Also last year, Pleasantville,
including many in which New York, paid $6 million to
officers, like Wilson, were the family of Danroy Henry
cleared of criminal wrong- Jr., a 20-year-old black col-
doing. U.S. District Judge lege student shot to death
E. Richard Webber did not by a white officer in 2010.
release the amount of the No charges were filed
settlement, citing unspeci- against the officer.
fied safety concerns. But Some award amounts
Ferguson City Attorney this year have been low-
Apollo Carey said in an er. Madison, Wisconsin,
email Friday in response to agreed to pay $3.35 mil-
an open records request lion to relatives of 19-year-
from The Associated Press old Tony Robinson Jr., who
that the city’s insurance was unarmed when he
company paid out $1.5 was fatally shot. Milwaukee
million. While settlements reached a $2.3 million ten-
are expensive, cities fac- tative settlement with the
ing lawsuits in wrongful family of Dontre Hamilton,
death cases are aware of a man with schizophrenia
the danger of going to trial, who was shot by police. Ar-
said James Cohen, a pro- lington, Texas, reached an
fessor at Fordham University $850,000 settlement with
School of Law. He said the the family of 19-year-old
settlement amount could Christian Taylor, who was
be dwarfed by an award shot by an officer while al-
granted by a jury sympa- legedly vandalizing cars at
thetic to the family. a dealership.q