The city of Seattle has agreed to pay $10 million to 50 Black Lives Matter protesters who sued the police department for claiming they used excessive force during the riots in 2020, in a settlement announced by attorneys from both sides on Wednesday.
"This decision was the best financial decision for the City considering risk, cost, and insurance," said City Attorney Davison. "The case has been a significant drain on the time and resources of the City and would have continued to be so through an estimated three-month trial that was scheduled to begin in May."
According to the city, the complaint involved hundreds of interactions between the protesters and local law enforcement officials, over a million pages of records, over 10,000 videos, hundreds of witness interviews, and extensive court filings. However, the city admitted no wrongdoing in this case.
"This settlement resolves the majority of the remaining claims arising out of the 2020 demonstration period and is a big step toward allowing the City to focus on the important work of today, while moving forward from events four years ago," Davison added.
SEATTLE CLOSES BLACK LIVES MATTER GARDEN AMID RAMPANT HOMELESSNESS, DRUG USE AND VANDALISM
The Seattle Times reported that the plaintiffs' attorney stated one of the protesters suffered a heart attack after she was hit by a blast ball fired by the Seattle Police Department, while another plaintiff, a veteran who uses a cane, was allegedly "gassed and tackled because he didn’t retreat fast enough."
The lawyers also claimed that "dozens of others suffered permanent hearing loss, broken bones, concussion, wounds, bruising and emotional damage" as a result of the police department's response.
The riots, which were a result of the death of George Floyd in May 2020, led to the destruction of many local businesses, significant property damage, and even injury and death.
In February, the city of Seattle agreed to pay $3.6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by more than a dozen business owners and residents whose properties faced significant damages at the hands of protesters.
