The family of George Floyd settled a civil lawsuit on Friday after the Minneapolis City Council approved what the family’s attorneys are calling the “largest pre-trial civil rights wrongful death settlement in U.S history.”
On Friday, during a closed session, the City Council unanimously approved a measure to pay Floyd’s family $27 million for the brutal killing by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, according to attorney Ben Crump
Following the vote, Mayor Jacob Frey joined Crump and the Floyd family to announce the historic settlement, which includes a $500,000 to “lift up” the Black-owned businesses surrounding Minneapolis’ 38th and Chicago Avenue—the spot where Floyd was slain—now known as George Floyd Square.
The family filed the lawsuit in July 2020, nearly two months after 46-year-old Floyd was slain by officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. Chauvin now faces charges of second and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter.
“It’s not just enough for America to say George Floyd’s life mattered,” said Crump during a Friday press conference. “They have to show that Black Lives Matter. It’s not just enough for America to say ‘Black Lives Matter.’ You have to show that Black lives matter.”
In 2019, Minneapolis settled a lawsuit with the family of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, for $20 million, making it the largest settlement for police misconduct in Minnesota history.
The family of Korryn Gaines received the largest publicly disclosed settlement in a case involving a police killing when a Maryland jury awarded Gaines’ family $38 million in damages.