MINNEAPOLIS — The city agreed to the $27 million record-breaking settlement with the family of George Floyd as the criminal trial was getting underway, because there was no guarantee the deal would be available later, according to the Minneapolis city attorney.
City officials have said very little about the timing of the settlement since announcing the deal last week.
At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Jacob Frey and City Attorney Jim Rowader both disagreed with the notion that the settlement has impacted jury selection in the criminal trial of ex-officer Derek Chauvin, despite Judge Peter Cahill calling the timing of the settlement “unfortunate” as two jurors were dismissed from the jury pool Wednesday because of the way they perceived the city’s settlement.
“With regard to timing in general, there is not good timing to settle any case particularly one as complex and as involved and sensitive as this. There's no guarantee for instance that that deal will be available two, four, six, eight weeks from now or months from now. And we decided to move forward with the Floyd family when all is said and done,” said Rowader.
When asked if he was protecting the city from potentially having to pay a larger sum to the Floyd family after the trial, Rowader said it would be “irresponsible to speculate.”
“We got very clear recommendations from our attorneys given their legal expertise, and I'll note it was a unanimous decision [by the city council],” said Frey.
It remains unclear if Hennepin County District Court Chief Judge Toddrick Barnette was consulted about the settlement before the agreement.
City officials declined to answer most questions about the settlement citing instructions from Judge Cahill for city leaders not to speak about the criminal trial.
The settlement was approved by the city council, but the paperwork of the deal still needs to be approved by a federal judge.
Rowader estimates that process could take one month.