The City of Louisville Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit for Breonna Taylor
It has been six months since EMT Breonna Taylor was murdered in her own home by three officers from the Louisville Police Department. While the officers have not been arrested, a small step towards justice has been made.
The City of Louisville has just settled for the Wrongful Death Lawsuit filed by Taylor’s family. The city has agreed to pay the family $12 million. The settlement is more than monetary, as other details have been announced such as much needed policing reforms.
CNN: The city of Louisville has settled the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Breonna Taylor.
The mayor of Louisville is expected to announce the settlement later Tuesday in a joint press conference with the Taylor family attorneys.— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) September 15, 2020
Taylor was murdered on March 13 when officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove issued a “no-knock warrant” as a part of a narcotics investigation on the wrong house. LPD was looking for Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, who was staying more than 10 miles away from Taylor’s home. Activists and citizens across the country have been protesting for six months, keeping track of how long it has taken for Louisville officials to take responsibility for the negligent killing. It almost seems as if officials want to do everything but arrest and charge Taylor’s murders, even going as far as to ask Taylor’s ex to implicate her in crimes when he was finally arrested in August.
Today is Tuesday September 15th 2020
187 days since the murder of #BreonnaTaylor 187 days no arrest, no justice! If this was a white girl would we still be counting the days?
Everyday I will ask for Breonna! #SayHerName #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor#BlackLivesMatter— Joshua Ratliff (@Josh_Ratliff734) September 15, 2020
Even with this new development, it has not quieted the calls for justice. Many hope that this payment will not be used as an excuse not to bring charges to the officers involved. Social media is full of tweets stating one clear thing, that money can never replace a loved one lost in such a tragic and highly publicized manner. There have even been some strong opinions shared that the family should not have settled until arrests were made. But this settlement has come around the same time that a Grand Jury may be looking into whether criminal charges should be filed against Mattingly, Hankison, and Cosgrove.
Let’s not just pay off Breonna Taylor’s family and forget to arrest the cops that killed her! #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor
— Trans Lives Matter! (Activist) Ada (@AllTransLivesM1) September 15, 2020
