Minneapolis Agrees to Pay Nearly $9 Million to Settle Lawsuits Filed by Two People Who Claimed Derek Chauvin Used Excessive Force Years Before Killing George Floyd

The city of Minneapolis has agreed to pay nearly $9 million to settle lawsuits filed by two people who said former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into their necks years before he used the same move to kill George Floyd. The lawsuits were filed in 2017, three years before Chauvin killed Floyd during an arrest captured on video that sparked protests worldwide, prompting a national reckoning on racial injustice and compelling a Minneapolis Police Department overhaul.

John Pope Jr. will receive $7.5 million and Zoya Code will receive $1.375 million as part of the settlement. The lawsuits stated that if the city had acted sooner to discipline Chauvin, “history could have been stopped from repeating itself.”

The settlement comes after Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. The conviction was seen as a major victory for the Black Lives Matter movement, which has been calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism.

The settlement is the latest in a series of actions taken by the city of Minneapolis to address police brutality and reform the police department. In addition to the settlement, the city has implemented a number of reforms, including a ban on chokeholds, a requirement for officers to intervene if they see another officer using excessive force, and a requirement for officers to report any use of force.

The settlement is a reminder that police brutality is an issue that needs to be addressed, and that the city of Minneapolis is taking steps to do so. It is also a reminder that the fight for justice for George Floyd and other victims of police brutality is far from over.