The case for a well-funded organization for wrongful death lawsuits against cops who kill.

[MineralMan]

8. Some background on recent wrongful death suits against police

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/moneytips/largest-legal-settlements_b_8122202.html

New York City recently settled a wrongful-death claim with the family of Eric Garner for $5.9 million almost a year to the day after Garner died from the use of a chokehold by an NYPD police officer. The 43-year old Garner was being taken into custody for selling untaxed cigarettes and was unarmed at the time of his death. Garner’s family filed a notice that they intended to pursue a $75 million lawsuit against the city, prompting the eventual $5.9 million settlement.

Unfortunately, large legal settlements against police officers and departments are not uncommon, and occurring more with the recent rise in tensions between police departments and the public. According to The Wall Street Journal, the ten U.S. cities with the largest police departments paid out a total of $248.7 million in settlements and court judgments in 2014. That represents almost 50% more than the $168.3 million paid out in 2010. Over that five-year period, those ten departments paid out $1.02 billion in settlements over police misconduct.

In this article, you will learn that most of these suits end up being settled out of court for a fraction of the amount sued for. My recommendation would be not to settle in any such case, but force it to a jury trial in court. That would make it far more public and would likely lead to larger judgments.

The key is legal expertise, really. With very experienced, talented attorneys on the plaintiff's side, such settlements would not be the answer. Instead, their abilities would force the jurisdictions to either offer much, much larger settlements or to try the case in court.