The Denver City Council on Monday approved a $1.06 million payout to six people who sued the city, alleging police violated their constitutional rights by using less-lethal weapons during the 2020 George Floyd protests.
The payout will settle a 2022 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court by the Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer law firm. The agreement was approved in a block vote.
Some of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit claimed that the city’s crowd-control policies violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights. Others alleged that they experienced excessive force used by police during the protests.
Neither attorneys for the plaintiffs nor city representatives immediately responded to a request for comment on Monday ahead of the council vote.
During the protests that bubbled up nationwide after the 2020 murder of Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, law enforcement in Denver used less-lethal weapons such as tear gas and chemical irritants, various projectiles, grenades and pepper spray, which the lawsuit said constituted excessive force.
As a result, the lawsuit said plaintiffs suffered physical and mental injuries, including burns, lost vision and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
“They want to participate in demonstrations against police brutality in the City without fear that law enforcement agents working on behalf of the City will endanger their physical safety and freedom of expression with the unjustified and indiscriminate use of ‘less-lethal’ weapons,” the lawsuit read. “Plaintiffs bring this action to seek accountability, to vindicate their constitutional rights, and to restrain local law enforcement from continuing to respond to peaceful protest with unconstitutional and indiscriminate force.”
The lawsuit had 14 plaintiffs, and Monday’s council resolution named six who were part of the new settlement: Lauren Folkerts, Joseph Gallegos, Zuri Hoskin, Huitziloxochitl Jaramillo, Debra Gehri (also known as Kelsang Virya) and Douglas Munn.
Before this payout, Denver had already approved settlements to resolve lawsuits over police actions against people protesting Floyd’s murder that amounted to nearly $15 million, as of early this year.
