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Council approves $1.475 million settlement in Griffin death case; moves payment to mayor's desk
Summary
The council authorized a $1,475,000 settlement to resolve claims by the family of Derretrick Griffin arising from an officer-involved vehicle incident, and directed payments to the plaintiffs' counsel.
The Atlanta City Council voted on April 21 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by the family of Derretrick Griffin and to authorize payment from the city's general fund. The resolution, offered by Council member Andrea Boone, authorizes a total settlement of $1,475,000 and directs the chief financial officer to issue two checks to plaintiffs' counsel as set out in the resolution.
Why it matters: The case alleges excessive force and resulted from an officer-involved incident in January 2019. The settlement resolves pending litigation and authorizes city funds to resolve potential civil exposure.
What the council approved The resolution (caption and file number read into the record) authorizes the city attorney to execute settlement documents in the case captioned Glover, et al. v. City of Atlanta, et al., civil action file number 1:20-cv-04302, and directs the CFO to make two payments totaling $1,475,000 to the plaintiffs’ counsel (Harmon Law LLC), with specific timing and amounts included in the resolution text. The resolution was read in full before the council and then approved on a recorded floor vote.
Votes and procedure Council moved into an executive session to discuss the pending litigation in accordance with state open-meetings law; after the closed session the council returned to open session and voted to approve the settlement. The floor vote to approve recorded after executive session was 13 yays, 0 nays, and the council then voted 13–0 to send the item to the mayor's office posthaste.
Council and law department remarks The law department asked the council to meet in executive session to discuss pending litigation. The resolution text read by the clerk states the plaintiffs alleged that an Atlanta Police Department officer used excessive force by discharging his weapon and that the settlement resolves all claims against the city. Council members moved and seconded the motion to approve following the executive session.
Next steps The approved resolution authorizes the city attorney to execute settlement documents and instructs the CFO to make the payments from the general fund account specified in the caption. The payments are to be made to plaintiffs’ counsel per the resolution’s schedule; the city will file the dismissal documents after payment is made and the release executed.
Ending The settlement closes a multi-year federal civil case arising from events in 2019. The city cited the law department’s determination that defending the suit could expose the city to greater financial risk than the agreed settlement amount.
