MINNEAPOLIS — The city of Minneapolis will pay nearly a million dollars to settle a class action lawsuit brought by a group of journalists who say they were tear-gassed, assaulted and held at gunpoint by police during the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd.
Journalist Jared Goyette was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was filed in June of 2020. He was documenting the efforts of protesters to shield and protect a seriously injured young Black man when police fired a projectile at Goyette’s face, hitting his eye and nose. Goyette claims he was then teargassed.
A news release from the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota says Goyette joined the lawsuit to prevent future police mistreatment of journalists and to get information about the internal decisions that enabled that conduct.
Joining Goyette in the lawsuit were Craig Lassig, Tannen Maury, Katie Nelson, Stephen Maturen, Ed Ou, Timothy Evans, Chris Tuite and the Communications Workers of America. The plaintiffs were represented by the ACLU and a number of local attorneys who did their work pro bono.
The city council approved the settlement on a 13-0 vote.
A spokesperson for the City of Minneapolis originally told KARE 11 the city is not commenting on the settlement at this time. The spokesperson did confirm the city has now paid $11,357,814 in settlements stemming from police conduct during the unrest.
“We fought for 3 ½ years to win this settlement for journalists who were attacked by Minneapolis police for simply covering the George Floyd protests," said ACLU-MN Legal Director Teresa Nelson in a written statement. "If it’s not clear to police yet, let’s say it again: Law enforcement cannot target, arrest, and attack journalists who are just doing their jobs, holding government accountable. Police must respect the First Amendment.”
"I do not feel a sense of victory, but rather hope that this case, alongside others and the impending consent decree between the city and the Department of Justice, will lead to a future where Minneapolis law enforcement is less likely to recklessly infringe upon First Amendment rights and assault and intimidate journalists," Goyette added.
Goyette is currently covering the conflict in Ukraine.
The City of Minneapolis was just one defendant named in the suit, along with the heads of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and other agencies that responded to the unrest.
At this point, ACLU-Minnesota says the only party that has not settled is the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and then-Sheriff Dave Hutchinson. Oral arguments on that matter are expected to begin in U.S. District Court this May or June.
In a later statement, Councilor Linea Palmisano did respond to KARE 11's request for comment and wrote, "I attended the settlement conferences in the Goyette case as the council member representative. I cannot disclose what was discussed at a settlement conference nor what was discussed by City Council with our attorneys about the proposed settlement, but I believe that this settlement with these plaintiffs and the ACLU was the best decision for our city in this case, and I am pleased that all of my colleagues agreed with me. My oath of office and fiduciary responsibility to the city prevents me from disclosing anything further."
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