Minneapolis City Council members voted on Thursday to settle the
federal civil rights lawsuits filed by John Pope Jr and Zoya
Code in May 2022. The lawsuits claimed racism and civil rights
violations and stemmed from incidents dating back to 2017.
Pope will get $7.5 million and Code will be given about $1.4
million, according to the settlement, the details of which were
released by law firm Robins Kaplan LLP, which represented the
accusers.
Floyd, a Black man suspected of passing a counterfeit bill, was
killed in May 2020 when Chauvin knelt on his neck for over eight
minutes as three other officers watched. The incident triggered
a worldwide wave of protests over racial injustice.
Pope was 14 years old in 2017 when officers were called to his
home for a reported domestic disturbance. Chauvin was one of the
officers who responded, and he entered Pope’s bedroom, where
Pope was on his cell phone and lying face down on the floor, the
lawyers said when the suit was filed.
Chauvin rushed Pope and struck him multiple times on the head
with a large flashlight and pinned Pope to the floor with his
knee, the lawsuit said.
In the case of Code, attorneys alleged Chauvin also used
excessive force, adding he slammed her head on the ground and
put his knee on the back of her neck.
Criminal charges against both Pope and Code were eventually
dropped. They said they were left traumatized after Chauvin's
actions. Their lawsuits also named the city of Minneapolis as a
defendant.
Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder in a state trial and
sentenced to 22-1/2 years. He also pleaded guilty to related
federal charges and is serving a federal sentence of 21 years
concurrently.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Daniel
Wallis)
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