Breonna Taylor’s family to receive $12M settlement

by Marty Johnson - 09/15/20 1:02 PM ET

george floyd minneapolis death police brutality protest riots black lives matter breonna taylor oprah o magazine billboards louisville kentucky justice until freedom civil rights officers arrest charge raid daniel cameron — Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The city of Louisville has reached a $12 million settlement with the family of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed in her own home by plainclothes Louisville police officers in March.

Initial news of the deal came Tuesday morning, just over six months to the day that Taylor was killed. The New York Times and the Courier Journal first reported the specific amount of the settlement, which was already thought to be a multimillion-dollar deal.

The deal is the largest settlement that the city has paid in a police misconduct case, shattering the previous top figure of $8.5 million, according to the Courier Journal.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer (D) and Taylor family attorneys, including prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, announced details on the deal at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m here today, with the family of Breonna Taylor, to announce that Louisville Metro Government has settled a civil lawsuit with her estate,” Fischer said. “We must have transparency and accountability for the work that our officers do.”

Fischer described the police reforms that are part of the agreement, notably, how no-knock warrants — the technique that led to Taylor’s death — are issued.

“We will now require a commanding officer to review and approve all search warrants … before an officer seeks judicial approval for the warrant,” Fischer said. “We’re creating a clear command structure when executing warrants in multiple locations.”

Lonita Baker, one of the attorneys representing the Taylor family, said the reforms were a “non-negotiable” part of the settlement.

Crump called the settlement “historic,” saying that it was the largest settlement ever reached for a Black woman killed by a police officer in the country.

However, Baker and Crump both stressed that justice for Taylor would not be complete until the officers involved in her killing were arrested and charged.

“We are still demanding Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron bring charges against the officers that killed Breonna Taylor. Justice delayed is justice denied,” Crump said.

Updated at 3:43 p.m.