Story at a glance
- The city of Minneapolis paid George Floyd’s family $27 million as part of a settlement agreement.
- Arresting officer Derek Chauvin heads to trial for Floyd’s death later this month.
Ahead of the murder trial of George Floyd, the city of Minneapolis paid a $27 million settlement to Floyd’s family, following a civil lawsuit over Floyd’s death in May 2020.
The settlement was confirmed during a Friday press conference in Minneapolis, led by Benjamin Crump, the high profile civil rights attorney representing Floyd’s family.
This is the largest pre-trial settlement in a police civil rights wrongful death case in U.S. history.
“It is my great honor to announce that George Floyd’s family, our legal team, and the City of Minneapolis and its leaders have settled the civil lawsuit in the death of George Floyd,” Crump stated. “The settlement is not just historic because of the $27 million dollars paid out, but for the impact on social justice, policy reforms and police reforms.”
Referencing the pending police reforms pending in Minneapolis and the proposed “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020” bill that would improve police accountability, Crump emphasized legislative actions are critical to sustained racial justice reform.
“It is the policy reforms that will fix all of us,” Crump said. He further thanked Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), Council President Lisa Bender, Councilman Jeremiah Elison and Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins for helping support the settlement and city change.
Frey issued a statement on Twitter, saying that the city’s settlement with Floyd’s family “reflects a shared commitment to advancing racial justice and a sustained push for progress.”
Floyd died after officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for several minutes during an arrest, even as Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t breath. Three other officers were on the scene and involved in the arrest.
Floyd was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death was ruled a homicide.
All four officers were fired from the force, and Chauvin awaits trial on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, second-degree manslaughter, and third-degree murder — the latter of which was reinstated Thursday.
He has pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
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