Minneapolis Pays $27 Million to George Floyd's Family in Record Civil Rights Settlement

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd died in Minneapolis after former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest over a suspected counterfeit bill. The encounter, recorded by bystanders and widely circulated, prompted protests across the country and renewed calls for police accountability.

Floyd's family filed a federal civil rights wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota against the City of Minneapolis and four officers who participated in the arrest. The complaint alleged excessive force and deprivation of constitutional rights under federal civil rights law. Among the family's legal team were L. Chris Stewart and Justin Miller of Stewart Trial Attorneys, who had already spent years representing families in high-profile police misconduct cases, including those of Walter Scott and Ahmaud Arbery.

The case never reached trial. On March 12, 2021, before jury selection in Derek Chauvin's criminal trial had concluded, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to settle the civil lawsuit for $27 million. The agreement also directed an additional $500,000 toward improvements to the 38th Street and Chicago Avenue neighborhood where Floyd died.

The $27 million figure set a national record as the largest pre-trial civil rights wrongful death settlement in U.S. history. No appellate reduction has been reported; the settlement was a negotiated resolution, not a verdict subject to remittitur.

At the time of the announcement, L. Chris Stewart described the result as providing a path forward for the family while ensuring that Floyd's death would produce substantive change. The civil case resolved while Chauvin's criminal proceedings were ongoing; Chauvin was later convicted of murder in April 2021.