The murder of George Floyd

Minneapolis agrees to pay $600K to settle another Chauvin lawsuit

portrait of a man with a grey suit
In this image taken from a video, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court at the Hennepin County Courthouse on June 25 2021, in Minneapolis.
Court TV via AP 2021

The city of Minneapolis will pay $600,000, including attorney fees, to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who says then-police officer Derek Chauvin used excessive force against her in 2020, four months before Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd, killing him. The City Council voted Thursday to approve the settlement after a closed-door briefing with members of the city attorney’s office.

Patricia Day claims that on Jan. 17, 2020, Chauvin and his partner snatched her out of her vehicle and threw her to the ground.

“Chauvin then assumed his signature pose, pressing his knee into the subdued and handcuffed Patty’s back — just as he would later do to snuff the life out of George Floyd,” reads the lawsuit.

Day said she suffered a cracked tooth and injuries to her arm and leg.

The lawsuit also takes police leadership to task for not correcting Chauvin’s actions after reviewing the incident involving Day.

“The video evidence was available for MPD supervisors and policymakers to see, if anyone had cared enough to look,” reads the suit. “But MPD command and control personnel ignored this evidence or, worse, reviewed it and did nothing, in either case continuing to condone such actions by Chauvin and other officers.”

Chauvin was convicted of murder in Floyd’s murder and sentenced to spend more than 20 years in prison.

The city has already paid out nearly $40 million to settle a lawsuit from Floyd’s family as well as $9 million to settle suits from Zoya Code and John Pope. They say Chauvin knelt on their necks and backs during separate confrontations in 2017.