There is an interesting article in the New York Times, today, “$16 Million vs. $4: Why Payouts in Police Shootings Vary Widely,” written by Timothy Williams and Mitch Smith, (A version of this article appears in print on June 29, 2018, on Page A10 of the New York edition with the headline: “The Value of a Life Brought to an End by a Police Officer’s Bullet.”)
The article compiles the verdicts and settlements which have been paid to the victims and next of kin of those who have died as a result of police murder or misconduct. It provides a good insight into the wide range of monetary recoveries, and the various factors that go into those settlements.
But the article is most important for this reason: It shows that tort law – the law of wrongful injuries – can provide a remedy in cases where police do wrong, even in those cases where the criminal justice systems fails to hold the police accountable.
Tort law lets you defend yourself and your family from wrongdoers.