MINNEAPOLIS — City officials in Minneapolis met behind closed doors Wednesday to discuss a civil lawsuit filed against the city by the family of Justine Ruszczyk Damond.
The lawsuit had been on hold until the conclusion of the criminal case against former Minneapolis police officer, Mohamed Noor, who fatally shot Damond in July 2017.
The city, Noor, Noor's former partner Matthew Harrity, former Chief of Police Janee Harteau, and current Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo, are listed as defendants.
The lawsuit seeks $50 million from the city in compensatory damages for Justine's death.
Chief Arradondo, Mayor Jacob Frey, city council members, and city attorney Susan Segal were present at Wednesday's meeting.
"We have attorneys assigned to the civil lawsuit, and they have been following the criminal case, and obviously it’s a significant case for the city," Segal said while speaking to reporters following the meeting Wednesday.
It could be the most expensive payout involving police misconduct in city history.
To date, the most expensive was in 2007 for $4.5 million, in the case of Duy Ngo, a Minneapolis officer shot by another officer while working undercover.
Former federal prosecutor Doug Kelley says the "not guilty" verdict on the second-degree murder charge makes things harder for the city.
"I think it’s a perfect verdict for the plaintiffs in the civil case and that is because by finding him not guilty of murder two, (it takes) away some arguments that the city might have had as to why they do not have to indemnify Noor," Kelley says.
WATCH BELOW: Timeline of the Justine Ruszczyk Damond shooting (App users, click here)
Segal didn’t comment on the question of indemnity Wednesday.
She did say the case is stayed for up to 45 days from yesterday’s verdict. During that time, she says there will be no active litigation in the civil case.
We reached out to the attorney for Justine’s family, but our calls for comment haven’t yet been returned.