George Floyd’s family receives $27 million compensation over his death

George Floyd’s family will finally get cash compensation over his death, although no amount of money will ever bring back the deceased.

The city of Minneapolis said it will pay $27 million to the Floyd family in a lawsuit filed by the family over the unlawful death of George Floyd, a case that caused a nationwide Black Lives Matter protest over racial injustice and police brutality.

“We know that no amount of money can ever address the intense pain and trauma caused by his death, for George Floyd’s family and to so many people in our community who are grieving,” said City Council President Lisa Bender. “Minneapolis has been fundamentally changed by this time of racial reckoning.”

The City Council voted unanimously is approve the settlement, of which $500,000 will be used “for the benefit of the community around 38th and Chicago,” where the death of Floyd occurred.

The Floyd family’s attorneys say the settlement is the largest pre-trial lawsuit settlement in the history of civil rights wrongful death lawsuits in the United States. They said the payout sends out a strong message about the value of African Americans in America.

“This is a message that the unjust taking of Black life will no longer be written off as trivial, unimportant or unworthy of consequences,” said attorney Ben Crump during a Friday news conference.

The legal team representing the Floyd family say there is hope that the agreement may likely spur policymakers across the US to institute policing reforms to avoid parting with huge amounts of money over officers’ misconduct.

“If you don’t get policing correct, if you don’t make these changes, if you don’t fix the policies that are happening, then you’ll be seeing us again because we are making sure that Black lives and Black value will be understood,” attorney Chris Stewart.

The payout surpasses the previous $20 million payout by Minneapolis, which was awarded in 2019. A white woman, Justine Ruszczyk Damond was killed by a Black officer after she reported possible assault in an alley nearby.

In the last 15 years, the city of Minneapolis will have paid at least $71 million in settlement over officers’ misconduct lawsuits or claims. This has placed a strain on the city’s finances over the years, especially the George Floyd lawsuit which is ongoing amid economic strain caused by the coronavirus.

The settlement precedes the murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George. A jury selection has begun for the trial. The Floyd family, who have to relive the moment when life was sucked out of George, say that his death could have been avoided if only the police had approached the situation differently.

“I think that I speak for myself and my family when I say that we would give the settlement back gladly to have George still here with us,” said Brandon Williams, Floyd’s nephew. “No amount of money can cure this pain, this heartache.”