George Floyd family settles lawsuit with Minneapolis for $27 million

The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously Friday to approve a $27 million settlement to resolve a civil lawsuit filed by the family of George Floyd over his May 25 death while in police custody.

The agreement, passed 13-0 in a closed session, was hailed by Floyd family attorney Ben Crump as “historic” and “the largest pre-trial settlement in a civil rights wrongful death case in U.S. history.”

The settlement “makes a statement that George Floyd’s life mattered and by extension that Black lives matter,” tweeted Mr. Crump. “It sends the message that the unjust taking of a Black life will no longer be written off as trivial, unimportant, or unworthy of consequences.”

The vote comes after the start Monday of jury selection in the criminal trial of former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin, who faces a host of charges, including second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, stemming from Floyd’s death during an arrest.

Video showing Floyd saying that he was unable to breathe as the officer knelt on his neck sparked months of massive social-justice protests as well as rioting across the nation.

Bridgett Floyd, Floyd’s sister and founder of the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, said in a statement that although “our hearts are broken, we are comforted in knowing that even in death, George Floyd showed the world how to live.”

“Our family suffered an irreplaceable loss May 25 when George’s life was senselessly taken by a Minneapolis police officer,” she said. “While we will never get our beloved George back, we will continue to work tirelessly to make this world a better, and safer, place for all.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other elected officials joined Mr. Crump and Floyd family members for a Friday press conference to discuss the settlement.

City leaders to join George Floyd’s family, attorneys for news conference to announce settlement in civil lawsuit https://t.co/AUBsmasFMu

— City of Minneapolis (@CityMinneapolis) March 12, 2021

Minneapolis agreed to a $20 million settlement in 2019 for the family of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, who was shot and killed by Officer Mohamed Noor after calling 911 to report the possible assault of a woman behind her home.

Opening statements in the Chauvin trial are scheduled for no sooner than March 29. The other three ex-officers involved in the arrest are slated to be tried separately.