Council approves $62,500 settlement in bodily-injury suit arising from 2019 protest encounter

The Portland City Council on Aug. 7 approved a $62,500 settlement to resolve a bodily-injury lawsuit filed by Hannah Ahern that arose during a July 2019 protest downtown, city attorneys said.

Dan Simon of the city attorney’s office described the facts leading to the claim: Ahern, who had stopped to observe protests that day, was directed by police to move across the street and did so; an officer later concluded she interfered with traffic and arrested her. Simon said Ahern alleged false arrest and battery; charges were dismissed by the Multnomah County district attorney and the parties negotiated a $62,500 settlement “to fully resolve the lawsuit.”

Karen Bond of the city’s risk office and city attorneys recommended council approve the payment. Public testimony included one of Ahern’s attorneys and representatives from Portland Copwatch, who urged council to use settlements as opportunities to review policies and pointed to prior payouts for protest-related arrests.

Councilors asked risk management to confirm that the exhibits’ claims totals did not include the two settlements on the agenda and sought the formal court caption; Dan Simon read the case caption as “Hannah Ahern v. Eric Kammer, City of Portland, and John Does 1 through 5.” No council member objected to the settlement; the ordinance passed with 12 aye votes on the roll call.

No disciplinary or policy changes were adopted as part of the settlement approval; staff said settlement approvals do not by themselves impose policy changes.