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City Council approves $8.1 million settlement in Kennedy et al. class action
Summary
Cincinnati City Council voted unanimously to approve an $8.1 million settlement of Kennedy et al v. City of Cincinnati, closing a five-year case tied to 2020 protest-related claims; councilmembers said about $2 million will cover attorney fees and the remainder will be divided among 479 plaintiffs.
Cincinnati — Cincinnati City Council on Dec. 10 approved an $8,100,000 settlement to resolve Kennedy et al v. City of Cincinnati, a class-action case dating to 2020 protest-related litigation.
Councilmember P.G. Johnson said the suit arose from events during the George Floyd protests and described the settlement’s approximate allocation: “I know 2,000,000 will go to attorney fees and then 6,000,000 divided among the 479 plaintiffs,” he said, urging the council to move the matter to closure. Vice Mayor Kearney said council had been assured the plaintiffs were peaceful protesters exercising First Amendment rights.
The ordinance authorizes the city manager and city solicitor to execute the settlement agreement in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division. Council members debated the settlement briefly, with several members thanking the law department for negotiating what they called a comparatively moderate payout.
The roll call vote on the motion to authorize the settlement was unanimous.
The action ends a five-year litigation process tied to demonstrations in 2020; the ordinance recorded the council’s authorization to complete the settlement and to implement payment as required by the agreement.
