Denver would pay $2.5 million to 13 people who sued the city over police officers’ actions during the George Floyd protests of 2020 under a settlement the City Council is set to consider Tuesday.
The lawsuit, filed in May 2022, alleged that officers with the Denver Police Department used tear gas, flashbang grenades, pepper balls and rubber bullets on peaceful protesters without warning or cause, according to the initial complaint.
The city “acted with deliberate indifference to the constitutional rights of protestors” with officers’ use of force, according to the lawsuit.
If approved, it would be one of the larger settlements paid by the city to resolve lawsuits over police actions against people protesting the murder of Floyd by Minneapolis police. So far, including the new proposed payout, the settlements have amounted to nearly $15 million.
Separately, the city is still appealing a federal jury verdict that had awarded a dozen protesters $14 million in compensatory damages.
The 13 plaintiffs in the case being considered at Tuesday’s council meeting are: Tejas Cousik, Tarin Allen, Jake Douglas, Alejo Gonzalez, Jeremy Hedlund, Robert Helmick, Phillip Lopez, Brianne Sanchez, Emma Smedberg, Mariah Wood, Abigail Zinman, Tyson McCormick and James Williams.
Many of them said they were left with bruises, bloody wounds and burning skin because of the officers’ actions, along with mental and emotional distress.
The plaintiffs and the city jointly asked the judge in U.S. District Court to cancel a 14-day jury trial earlier this month after both sides agreed to the settlement.
The council had been expected to review the agreement in an executive session Feb. 11, according to court documents. They are set to vote on whether to approve it during their regular meeting Tuesday.
Neither the city nor the plaintiffs’ attorneys, at the law firm Loevy & Loevy, responded to requests for the settlement agreement Monday ahead of the council vote.
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