As the anniversary of the tragic death of Eric Garner approaches, New York City has finally reached a settlement agreement with the family of Garner. The city will be required to pay the family $5.9 million opposed to the $75 million for wrongful death they were planning on suing for if a decision was not reached by July 17th.
Read more below.
Garner’s death was ruled a homicide, after the man was put into an illegal chokehold and died at the hands of officer Daniel Pantaleo. The officer claimed he was arresting him on the grounds of allegedly selling “untaxed cigarettes.”
In a statement released by the Garner family lawyer, Jonathan C Moore said, The City of New York has agreed to pay $5.9 million to resolve the Garner case.”
Following the settlement, city representative Scott M. Stringer released a statement saying,
“Following a judicious review of the claim and facts of this case, my office was able to reach a settlement with the estate of Eric Garner that is in the best interests of all parties. We are all familiar with the events that lead to the death of Eric Garner and the extraordinary impact his passing has had on our City and our nation. It forced us to examine the state of race relations, and the relationship between our police force and the people they serve. While we cannot discuss the details of this settlement, and the City has not admitted liability, I believe that we have reached an agreement that acknowledges the tragic nature of Mr. Garner’s death while balancing my office’s fiscal responsibility to the City.”
Investigations regarding the death of Mr. Garner are still on going.
Source Complex
