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Breonna Taylor’s Family’s Legal Claims Against City of Louisville Settled for $12 Million

Attorneys representing Breonna Taylor’s family have reached a $12 million agreement with the City of Louisville. Immediate family members can file wrongful death cases against parties whose negligence or intentional acts lead to a loved one’s death. Depending on several issues, such a case could settle for millions of dollars, as this one reportedly has. If you believe you have need a car wreck lawyer, read on.

The settlement, according to USA Today, includes a “significant amount of money reaching into the millions of dollars,” and reforms for the police department. They include changes in how search warrants are executed and policies to increase police accountability. It may be one of the largest settlements in Louisville police history.

Taylor was 26 when she was shot and killed when city narcotics officers served a warrant at her apartment early in the morning of March 13. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was with her at the time. Officers claimed they announced themselves before entering the apartment. Walker denies that. He had a pistol with him at the time and started shooting at the officers after the door flung open. They returned fire.

Walker claims he didn’t know they were the police, he thought they were intruders, and he was trying to defend himself and Taylor. Walker was arrested for attempted murder of a police officer. That charge was later dropped.

Sgt. Jon Mattingly was shot by Walker and later recovered from his injury. The police department fired Brett Hankison for “blindly” firing ten shots into Taylor’s apartment. Det. Myles Cosgrove was the other officer who fired his weapon that night. The state’s criminal case will be presented to a grand jury. They will decide if any the officers involved will face criminal charges.

A CNN review of the incident found multiple mistakes by officers. Before they came to her apartment, they assumed Taylor was alone. They also used a high-risk, forced entry under questionable circumstances, contributing to Taylor’s death.

CNN interviewed Walter Katz, a police tactics expert, who called the circumstances surrounding Taylor’s death “very problematic,” showing systemic flaws in Louisville police training and tactics. Police search warrants were aimed at possibly finding drugs in her apartment stored or hidden by a former boyfriend and accused drug dealer, Jamarcus Glover.

Walker stated they heard pounding on the door. He and Taylor yelled in response, asking who it was. Walker claimed there was no answer, he thought it might be Glover, and grabbed his pistol. He said he walked down a hallway to the door when it burst open. Taylor was shot multiple times. No drugs were found in the apartment.

If you believe a close family member was killed because of another’s negligence or intentional act, you may have grounds to file a wrongful death claim. They can be complex claims that must be thoroughly investigated, so contact us as soon as possible. If you need a car accident lawyer in Elizabethtown or the surrounding area in Kentucky, call the attorneys at The Fleck Firm for a free consultation at (270) 446-7000. We’ll talk about the incident, how Kentucky law may apply, and your best options to proceed. Insurance companies have lawyers. You should have one too.