Justine Damond’s family to get $US20m after Mohamed Noor trial
The city of Minneapolis is set to pay the family of Justine Ruszczyk Damond $28 million to settle a lawsuit after she was fatally shot by a police officer. But there is a catch.
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The city of Minneapolis is paying $US20 million ($A28 million) to settle a lawsuit with the family of an unarmed Australian woman who was fatally shot by a police officer after she called 911 to report a possible crime.
Mayor Jacob Frey announced the settlement three days after a jury convicted Mohamed Noor of murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of life coach Justine Ruszczyk Damond, 40.
The Star Tribune reported that under the terms of the settlement, the family will be required to donate $2 million of the payment to the Minneapolis Foundation’s Fund for Safe Communities, a program designed to fight gun violence in the city.
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The dual citizen of Australia and the US had called 911 to summon officers to a possible rape in the alley behind her house.
The Damond family had filed a $US50 million civil lawsuit against Noor, Officer Harrity, the city of Minneapolis and the current and former police chiefs, alleging that her civil rights were violated.
During his trial, Noor, 33, argued that he and his partner were startled by a loud bang on their squad car and that he fired to protect them from a perceived threat.
But after deliberating for 11 hours, a jury found the former officer guilty of third-degree murder and manslaughter in the July 2017 death of Damond. He will learn his sentence on June 7.
Frey called the settlement with Damond’s family “a way for our city to move forward”.
“This is not a victory for anyone, but rather a way for our city to move forward,” Frey said. “And I do believe we will move forward together, united in the shared belief that such a tragedy should never occur in our city.”
CNN reported that Robert Bennett, a lawyer for Ruszczyk’s family, said the settlement came as a result of private mediation.
“It required good faith negotiations on everyone’s part, and frank discussions between my clients, the mayor, the city lawyer, representatives of the city council, the chief of police,” Mr Bennett said.
He said that Damond’s family “would only agree to settle this case if the amount of the settlement itself was transformational,” marking a mandate for reform within the police department.
“This is an unmistakable message to change the Minneapolis Police Department in ways that will help all of its communities,” Mr Bennett said, adding that since Damond’s death, there have been “many positive changes” in city leadership, including the mayor and the chief of police.
Mr Bennett said that based on the mediation, Damond’s family feels the change will continue.
“But if it does not, the $US20 million settlement serves as a marker for future transgressions.”
The conviction of Noor, a Somali-American, raised questions about the role that gender and race played in the case - and the settlement has raised more eyebrows.
But Mr Bennett dismissed questions about whether race played a factor in the size of the settlement, telling reporters, “I don’t think it did.”
“I think the actions of Mohamed Noor were the things that were terrible and wrongful and unconstitutional and criminal,” he said.
Originally published as Justine Damond’s family to get $US20m after Mohamed Noor trial
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