The City of Seattle has agreed to a hefty $10 million settlement with protesters over allegations of police brutality during the 2020 demonstrations sparked by George Floyd's death. The group of demonstrators, represented by Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore, claimed they sustained injuries due to excessive police force during the protests.
Among the 50 plaintiffs were a woman who suffered a heart attack from a blast ball hit, a man who fell into a coma after being detained by officers, and a veteran "gassed and tackled because he didn’t retreat fast enough," as per attorney statements to The Seattle Times. Others included victims of permanent hearing loss, broken bones, and emotional trauma like PTSD, according to the law firm's press release.
Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison remarked on the settlement: "This decision was the best financial decision for the City considering risk, cost, and insurance.” Despite the substantial payout, the city maintains it admits no wrongdoing, as per statements made to CBS6 Albany. Davison also emphasized the resolution of the majority of the claims arising from the 2020 protests.
These settlements come after intense scrutiny of SPD's actions, where officers have been criticized for their undiscriminating use of tear gas, blast balls, and pepper spray, and for not distinguishing between peaceful protestors and vandals. Lead plaintiff's attorney Karen Koehler blasted the city's response, stating, "They should have said, ‘We’re sorry that we were punks and brutalized peaceful protesters,'" during a news conference covered by The Seattle Times.
The city's defense effort, which included reviewing over 10,000 videos and a million pages of records, ultimately did not prevent the settlement, which was reached after confidential mediations. Importantly, the settlement funds will be distributed proportionally among the protesters who suffered during that tumultuous period of civic unrest.
