Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
Six months after Breonna Taylor was killed in her apartment, the city of Louisville has settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her mother, agreeing to pay millions of dollars and focus on police reform.
At a Tuesday press conference, Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher announced a $12 million payment to Taylor’s estate.
According to an Associated Press report, a person who has seen the settlement agreement said the sum is the largest to be paid by the city for a police misconduct case.
Pledging stronger community connections between officers, the mayor also announced a housing credit program to incentivize officers to live in low-income areas and said the government would encourage officers to volunteer two paid hours every two weeks during their regular shifts to work with community groups.
The mayor also said the police department would hire social workers to provide support on “certain police runs” in which officers are faced with people dealing with mental-health crises and other issues.
Finally, the mayor said several steps would be taken to ensure department transparency. To achieve this, Fisher said, a commanding officer would be required to review and approve all search warrants before an officer seeks judicial approval, a clearer command structure would be created when executing warrants at multiple locations and an early warning system would be implemented to track all use-of-force incidents, among other measures.
“Good officers appreciate sunlight on their work,” Fisher said.
Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, filed the wrongful death lawsuit in April, alleging police officers had used flawed information in obtaining a “no-knock” warrant to enter Taylor’s apartment looking for drugs on March 13, the Associated Press reported.
Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed when police entered the apartment, and Walker said he fired a gun one time, believing the officers were intruders. His shot reportedly hit officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg.
Investigators say Taylor was shot several times as the officers returned fire, according to the Associated Press.
No drugs were found in the apartment.
Walker has filed a $10.5 million lawsuit in connection with the incident, alleging police brutality, unlawful arrest and malicious prosecution, among other things.
He has named the state, county, city, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, former police chief Steve Conrad and 13 city police officers as defendants.
According to a CNN report, police said the officers involved in the incident were not wearing body cameras.
Palmer’s lawsuit accused three Louisville officers of blindly firing into the apartment during the raid, according to the Associated Press.
The warrant being executed was one of five issued as part of an investigation into Taylor’s former boyfriend Jamarcus Glover, a drug-trafficking suspect, the Associated Press reported. He was eventually arrested that same night about 10 miles away from Taylor’s apartment.
The city has reportedly already made some reforms, including the passage of a new law named Taylor that bans no-knock warrants.
No-knock warrants are typically used in drug cases or other cases in which there is concern about the possibility of destruction of evidence if police announce their arrival.
Taylor’s name, along with George Floyd’s, has been at the forefront of calls for racial justice and police reform across the United States since she was shot and killed by police.
But protesters all over the country demanding an end to police brutality have allegedly been met with violence, themselves.
A class action lawsuit has been filed by Louisville protesters who allege officers used tear gas, flash bangs and other “military-grade technology” in an attempt to quiet the crowd.
The class action lawsuit says officers and National Guardsmen fired 18 rounds at a Black restaurant owner during a May 31 protest, killing him.
The plaintiffs in that case also say since he was killed, peaceful protesters “have been shot, gassed, beaten, and arrested solely for making their voices heard.”
Social justice organization Until Freedom responded to the news of the settlement Tuesday, saying no amount of money would bring Taylor back, according to CNN.
“We see this settlement as the bare minimum you can do for a grieving mother,” the group said. “The city isn’t doing her any favors. True justice is not served with cash settlements. We need those involved in her murder to be arrested and charged. We need accountability. We need justice.”
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who has been made a special prosecutor in the case, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have opened an investigation into the shooting, CNN reported. A grand jury also has been empaneled to investigate.
Cameron is expected to announce a decision on bringing charges soon, but has not provided a specific deadline.
What do you think of the settlement? Let us know in the comments.
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
Four Arrested During Kenosha Police Brutality Protest File Class Action Lawsuit
Elijah McClain Family Files Police Brutality Lawsuit
