Trial News

The City of Minneapolis has agreed to a $27 million settlement—the largest in its history—with the family of George Floyd, whose death last year in police custody catalyzed nationwide protests over police brutality and the violent treatment of Black people. The settlement resolves a §1983 civil rights lawsuit a trustee for the family had filed against the city and four of its police officers. It also sets aside $500,000 for the community in the area where Floyd was killed. (Schaffer v. Chauvin, No. 0:20-cv-01577 (D. Minn. filed July 15, 2020).)

The federal complaint alleged that the officers involved in Floyd’s death violated his Fourth Amendment right to be free of excessive force and that the city had a pattern and practice of training officers to use deadly force in nonviolent situations, as Trial News previously reported. After Floyd was arrested and handcuffed by Minneapolis Police Department officers last May, one officer, Derek Chauvin, brought him to the ground in a prone position and pressed the left side of his face into the pavement even though he was not resisting the officers. While two other officers knelt on Floyd’s back and legs to pin him down, Chauvin knelt into the back of Floyd’s neck. Despite Floyd’s pleas for help and telling officers, “I can’t breathe,” the officers continued to press on Floyd’s body for nearly nine minutes and failed to intervene or seek medical help when it became clear that Floyd was in distress.

Among other allegations, the lawsuit claimed that the police department had a history of training officers to use deadly force in non-deadly situations and that it had failed to take action against its officers in multiple known prior incidents in which they had used excessive force.

The settlement was announced as jury selection was underway in separate criminal proceedings against Chauvin in Minnesota state court. Chauvin faces charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd’s death.