The city of Fort Worth knows that 24-year old Michael Jacobs died for no good reason. As such, they approved a $2 million settlement with his family as payment for the actions of the Fort Worth police officer Stephanie Phillips who killed him with two taser gun shots.
The city admits no wrongdoing in the settlement with relatives of Michael Jacobs, whose 2009 death was ruled a homicide.
Officer Stephanie Phillips wasn't disciplined or indicted.
Jacobs' family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, which doesn't limit the amount a city could be forced to pay, unlike cases filed in state court.
This blog has been following the issue of taser-related deaths for the past couple of years. This is one of the few cases that we've seen come full circle.
2 comments:
Cities often settle knowing full-well they are not liable. It's cheaper than fighting a long suit.
Gunfighter - I've been following these taser-deaths for the past couple of years. There have not been many settlements like this one. Perhaps this is the way that the issue gets more serious attention...
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