Freddie Gray Settlement 6.4 M...?

General General Discussion
1

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/08/freddie-grays-family-settles-with-city-of-baltimore-for-6-4m/
The family of Freddie Gray, who died after being critically injured in police custody, reached a $6.4 million wrongful death settlement with the city of Baltimore, resolving civil claims about a week after the first hearing in the criminal case against six police officers, officials said Tuesday.
Six Baltimore police officers face criminal charges stemming from Gray’s death. Gray, who was black, was critically injured April 12 in the back of a prisoner transport van after he was arrested. His death sparked protests, rioting and unrest that shook Baltimore for days.

http://www.aol.com/article/2015/09/08/freddie-gray-family-settles-with-baltimore-city/21233025/?icid=maing-grid7|htmlws-sb-bb|dl22|sec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D751746470

Gray’s spine was injured April 12 in the back of a prisoner transport van after he was arrested. Gray, a 25-year-old black man, died at the hospital a week later. In the aftermath, Gray became a symbol of the contentious relationship between the police and the public in Baltimore, as well as the treatment of black men by police in America.

The settlement still needs the approval of a board that oversees city spending. That board will meet Wednesday morning.

http://nation.foxnews.com/2015/04/30/freddie-gray-arrest-record-criminal-history-rap-sheet
His arrest record includes at least 18 arrests:

March 20, 2015: Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance
March 13, 2015: Malicious destruction of property, second-degree assault
January 20, 2015: Fourth-degree burglary, trespassing
January 14, 2015: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute
December 31, 2014: Possession of narcotics with intent to distribute
December 14, 2014: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance
August 31, 2014: Illegal gambling, trespassing
January 25, 2014: Possession of marijuana
September 28, 2013: Distribution of narcotics, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, second-degree assault, second-degree escape
April 13, 2012: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, violation of probation
July 16, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute
March 28, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance
March 14, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to manufacture and distribute
February 11, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance
August 29, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, violation of probation
August 28, 2007: Possession of marijuana
August 23, 2007: False statement to a peace officer, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance
July 16, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance (2 counts)

I’m just thinking that’s a bit much cash for a guy who was raised on a steady diet of lead paint chips and was a low level dope slinger on the street corner, but WTF, I work for a living.

2

At a minimum, the cost of his previous crimes, court cases, victim restitution and any incarceration should be deducted from the settlement.

3

He ain’t do nuthin wrong.

4

So how does this do anything other than taint any potential jury pool going forward and bias them towards guilty? Oh, well they must be guilty because the city already paid out.

5

If you had a bean counter run the numbers, comparing the economic impact of his future crimes and incarcerations, along with the future crimes and incarcerations of any spawn he may have had beyond his death, Baltimore and Maryland might actually come out ahead by only paying out $6.4M. :wink:

6

I guess if we could whack all the bad guys in the US for $6.4M a pop, that would be a pretty good deal. Cheaper and more certain than going the death penalty route.

Actually, for $1 trillion, you only get to whack 156.25 bad guys. Wait, decimal issue. 156,250 dead bad guys. 3,125,000 for our whole national debt. I really think we spent our money foolishly, since we’d be solving the poverty problem at the same time. Heck for 6.4 million, we’d have families turning in multiple family members.

Got to get the pay out done before the truth comes out…

7

The city of Baltimore is getting the government they elected. Coming to a city near you.

8

6.4 is a lot of money. Huge payouts like that seem to be the norm and in some cases are warranted.

The folks who decided to settle had the benefit of knowing what would come out in court, maybe they know something we don’t and figured it would be a better idea to settle now.

9

Or maybe they knew the city would burn regardless of who was actually guilty of what.

10

So when is the family getting the reconstruction bill from that 6.4 mil?

11

I don’t know who is actually guilty of what.

But here is the deal, I always kind of thought that when I put the hook on someone I was responsible for their safety until I turned them over to detention. I don’t poke caged animals with sticks, and I didn’t **** with the people I arrested. Why? As an officer I stood for the law. Stooping to their level, well, it put me at their level.

I know what I THINK happened, and feel somewhat sorry for the officers, I’m sure the intent was not to permanently harm the guy. But I THINK they intentionally acted in a manner that had that outcome. They were supposed to be the righteous ones, I THINK some of them were not, and I THINK some of them got caught up in a mess of someone else’s making.

I THINK 6.4 million is too much, but when juries start throwing around other people’s money that is probably the city figures a jury would let them have. I THINK that they (City) wouldn’t have gone 6.4 if there was not an intentional malicious act which harmed the guy.

So now, to paraphrase, ‘I’m going to have to wait and see if my suspicions are correct.’

And if my suspicions are correct, who should we be mad at and send the bill for reconstruction to: the city; the guy’s family; Or the officers?

12

Not surprising that details of settlement are missing. I did find this elsewhere:

-Initial $2.8 million payment.
-Followed by a second payment of $3.6 million that has not been spelled out that I can find.

In my experience that means it is an annuity payout that adds up to payments of $3.6 million over Mom/Dad and twin sister’s lifetime. I don’t think the deceased had any kids. A lump sum of $1.3 million TODAY would pay out about $3.6 million to the twin sister over her POSSIBLE lifetime. That is usually how these BS news outlets pump up the number as large as possible to sell advertising with a grabbing headline.

It does not say to whom the initial $2.8 goes, it could be the family members, it could partially go to a “charity” to promote BLM for all we know.

Certainly the prosecuting attorney team and harpies like Sharpton will grab a large piece of that $2.8 pie.

If I had to put money down on how this is playing out… the family gets almost none of the $2.8 and will squander the $47,368 a year for life they actually do receive. This happens in any number of textbook cases of lottery “winners” with destroyed lives of misery due to newfound money.

It seems very odd to me that this moved so quickly to settlement. I wouldn’t wish a deceased son/brother on someone… but $47,000 for life is a far cry from the headline $6.4.

13

Has that even been established and has it been established said critical injury actually caused as a direct result of the LEOs? I’m still unclear of the actual fact patterns of this event. Of all the events to date that have caused protests this one seems the fuzziest on facts to me.

14

Exactly WTF?

http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/freddie-gray-hurt-self-police/2015/04/30/id/641726/
but then…
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/witness-in-freddie-gray-case-wanted-in-pennsylvania/35108610

15

To repeat, the above simply confirms for me the supporting evidence his injuries were the result of the LEOs is fuzzy at best, unless there’s additional evidence we’re not privy to.

16

I don’t think anyone is going to know exactly what happened in the back of that wagon, again, why no camera?
The only witness in the back of the wagon has told conflicting stories and now nothing he can say on the stand is worth a damn.
The payout clearly places the blame in the laps of the Officers and again as with the pretrial statements made by the Prosecutor the ground work has been laid and there doesn’t seem to be a judge willing to take her to task for that.
This is what Justice will look like when the Progressives take control.
The money after all isn’t the Prosecutors and clearly it will mean She can solidify a future career in higher office. It’s kind of like securing a strong foothold on the voting block on your way to the Governors mansion.

17

Preponderance of the Evidence is the standard in civil court, not Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.

Jury selection is also a factor. White guilt, revenge against the police and rebellion against institutionalism are attitudes that favor a plaintiff when police are subject to civil litigation.

18

I was saying that the city by paying out a settlement increases the likelihood of biasing criminal proceedings towards guilty in the future. Idk if the accused are guilty or not but if their already saying they were civilly liable then its a bad thing.

19

Cadillac Escalades for everybody in the family, even a few loaded, souped up Dodge Chargers to outrun the PoPo, a few trips to Vegas, Super Bowl and then all the money gone by February.

20

I was thinking about any possible kids coming forward and if he buried or cremated, could you trust that his dad was actually his father and how related his brothers and sisters are. Not just a ghetto thing, if we had everyone in the U.S. submit DNA samples for a family tree, the results would make the Ashley Madison furor shenanigans look tame.