Seattle doles out $10 million to settle 2020 protest injury claims

The Seattle City Attorney and lawyers for more than 50 people who say they were injured while protesting police violence in 2020 have reached a $10 million settlement.

The plaintiffs participated in local Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Their lawyers said the plaintiffs suffered from broken bones and other injuries while engaging in First Amendment-protected activity.

The plaintiffs include Aubreanna Inda, a woman who went into cardiac arrest after being hit in the chest by a Seattle police blast ball, and the estate of Summer Taylor, a protester hit and killed by a driver on I-5 who later was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for vehicular homicide and reckless driving.

Photographer Bruce Tom is also among the plaintiffs and says he was injured by police during the protests. Speaking at a press conference organized by plaintiff attorneys Wednesday he said, “It’s the first time I ever felt my life was actually threatened, and like, why? I was just there to witness — that’s kind of my right, right?"

Abie Ekenezar, another plaintiff and a U.S. Navy veteran, also spoke at Wednesday's press conference.

“Coming back home and figuring out I still have to fight for the rights of myself and my son, and being attacked for it…you have to realize that we’ve been fighting for three years and no one should ever have to fight for their rights here," Ekenezar said. "It doesn’t make sense.”

According to the settlement agreement, the city has no role in determining the amounts disbursed to each plaintiff. Karen Koehler, the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs, said her clients have agreed to distribute settlement funds in proportion to each person’s injuries.

The city admitted no wrongdoing as a result of the settlement. In a statement, City Attorney Ann Davison said the agreement resolves the majority of remaining claims stemming from those 2020 demonstrations.

“This decision was the best financial decision for the City considering risk, cost, and insurance,” Davison said in a statement. “The case has been a significant drain on the time and resources of the City and would have continued to be so through an estimated three-month trial that was scheduled to begin in May.”

The city also hired the firm K&L Gates to assist in its defense.

Plaintiff attorney Koehler called the fallout from the protests “not a proud moment in Seattle history,” noting that a federal judge sanctioned the city over evidence that officials intentionally deleted text messages containing communication about the protests.

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In June 2021, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz issued an apology for the department's handling of the protests, saying, "To all with whom trust has been broken, to members of the community and the department alike who bear the physical and emotional scars from this past summer, and to all who are hurting: I am deeply sorry."

Koehler repeatedly criticized the city’s failure to admit liability as one of the terms of the settlement. She said the decision to agree to the settlement and avoid trial was “a torturous one,” but she ultimately decided that “$10 million dollars is an acknowledgement that [the city] kind of screwed up.”

She ended the press conference by saying, “Shame on the city of Seattle. You suck.”