Robins Kaplan LLP announced today a $600,000 settlement with the City of Minneapolis for client Patty Day, who was subjected to excessive force and a wrongful arrest by former Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officer Derek Chauvin and his then-partner, officer Ellen Jensen.
In her Complaint, Ms. Day alleged that during an interaction with police in January 2020, she was violently jerked from her car by Chauvin and Jensen and thrown to the ground, despite being no threat to the officers. Her Complaint further alleged that Chauvin then assumed his signature pose, pressing his knee into Ms. Day’s back while she was handcuffed. The officers’ use of force resulted in Ms. Day suffering a fractured tooth, along with significant arm and shoulder injuries. As alleged in the Complaint, officer Jensen did nothing to intervene.
This settlement follows other agreements reached with the City of Minneapolis involving Chauvin, the former police officer convicted of the 2020 murder of George Floyd. In lawsuits brought by the Robins Kaplan civil-rights team on behalf of John Pope and Zoya Code, Chauvin and additional MPD officers were alleged to have engaged in misconduct, the use of excessive force, and racial discrimination in connection with incidents predating Mr. Floyd's murder.
Body-worn camera footage from these earlier incidents revealed that Chauvin used similar excessive-force tactics, which later culminated in Mr. Floyd’s death. Despite the evidence, Chauvin was not disciplined for these earlier incidents by the MPD. He was subsequently convicted of Mr. Floyd’s murder and sentenced in 2021 to 22 ½ years in prison.
“While no settlement can undo what Patty endured, we are grateful to have reached an agreement that holds the officers accountable for their actions,” said Katie Bennett, partner at Robins Kaplan. “This case is yet another example of the critical need for justice and reform in policing.”
The Robins Kaplan team included Robert Bennett, Katie Bennett, and Marc Betinsky.
Related Attorneys
Partner
Partner
Partner
