New Report Shows Which States Pay the Most for Litigating Police Misconduct Cases

Police make dozens of arrests as demonstrations continue in Manhattan over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer in New York City on June 3, 2020. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A new study reveals the amount of money taxpayers in various states have been forced to pay for settling cases of police misconduct.

The study, obtained by The Epoch Times in a press release, is based on data gathered through research conducted by High Rise Financial, a pre-settlement legal funding company. It exposes that taxpayers in the United States have been saddled with more than $2.3 billion in litigation settlement costs in various states related to cases of police misconduct. The cases include violations like bias and discrimination, unlawful detentions and arrests, abuse of power, and excessive use of force.

The data from the study is related to the number of police misconduct cases that were processed between October 2009 and July 2023. The study also breaks down how much the litigation settlements have cost taxpayers in 35 separate states.

So, which are the top five states that have spent the most on settling police misconduct cases over the past 14 years?

New York

According to the data, New York’s taxpayers by far paid the most, shelling out over $1 billion, $1,094,427,000 to be precise, to cover the costs of litigation in cases of police misconduct in the Empire State.

In August 2023, The City reported that New York City taxpayers were held liable for a $415,000 settlement related to the attack of State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn) and former Brooklyn Democrat Assembly member Diana Richardson by police during a 202o protest following the death of George Floyd. While each politician received $15,001, their attorneys got the lion’s share, $385,000.

In a separate report, updated in October, The City disclosed how New York’s taxpayers paid a $387,000 settlement to a woman who was also injured during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of Mr. Floyd.

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According to the Police Funding Database (PFD), New York City officials agreed to pay 22-year-old Dounya Zayera a $387,000 settlement in 2022. The case was related to the incident where she sustained a concussion and seizure after being pushed to the ground by a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer while protesting the death of Mr. Floyd in May 2020.

Between 2010 and 2019, PFD data shows that taxpayers in New York City shelled out $945 million in cases involving police misconduct claims.

California

While 70 percent less than New York, the data placed California in second place, with taxpayers paying over $332.4 million on legal settlements due to police misconduct. That’s an average of $23.7 million per year.

According to a report submitted April 26, 2022, to Gov. Gavin. Newsome and other state officials by Acting California State Auditor Michael Tilden, the audit of five law enforcement departments in the Golden State uncovered cases in which some officers at each department “engaged in biased conduct, either during their on-duty interactions with individuals or online through their social media posts.”

On June 30, The Los Angeles Times reported that the LA City Council agreed to pay Dion Jones an $860,000 settlement for the 2020 incident when LAPD Officer Peter Bueno shot him with a projectile during a protest also related to the death of Mr. Floyd.

In a July 11 report by Fox News, Army Veteran Gregory Gross was awarded a record-breaking $20 million in a police brutality case in which officers used excessive force while arresting him after he was involved in a slow-speed collision in 2020 for suspicion of drunk driving.

Illinois

According to the data collected by High Rise Financial, Illinois ranked third on the list of states whose taxpayers have paid the most in cases related to rectifying police misconduct.

With an average of $23.5 million in settlements being paid yearly on litigation settlements in the Prairie State, Illinois taxpayers have paid over $330 million to compensate victims for cases of police misconduct.

On Dec. 6, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that taxpayers in the Windy City have anteed up almost $700 million to victims in cases where police framed them for crimes they didn’t commit.

Of the 300 cases, $537 million was given to the plaintiffs, while $140 million wound up in the pockets of city attorneys.

PFD’s database shows that Daniel Taylor, who was 17 years old when he was arrested and wrongfully convicted of a 1992 double homicide in Chicago, was awarded a $14.25 million settlement because the police department withheld exculpatory evidence that would have proved his innocence.

Data from PFD also shows that taxpayers in the Windy City have paid out nearly $300 million between 2010 and 2018 on a collection of police misconduct cases.

Maryland

Maryland placed fourth on High Rise Financial’s list of the highest-paying states in America in cases involving police misconduct.

With an average of $5.8 million being awarded per year for mistakes made by members of their police force, taxpayers in the Terrapin State handed out $81.2 million in police misconduct settlements.

In March, US News reported that Baltimore officials agreed to pay $6 million to the family of a driver named Elbert Davis Sr. who was killed during a police chase involving Gun Trace Task Force officers in 2010.

The database from PFD shows that Baltimore agreed to pay the family of Malcolm Bryant, who spent 17 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of the 1998 murder of 16-year-old Toni Bullock, $8 million. In less than a year of being released from prison, Mr. Bryant passed away. In 2016, DNA evidence exonerated Mr. Bryant. Three years later, his family filed their lawsuit, arguing that the police department withheld exculpatory evidence.

According to PFD’s database, taxpayers in Baltimore alone shelled out $36.5 million in settlements related to police misconduct.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania ranks fifth on the High Rise Financial list of states that have paid the most in settlements related to police misconduct.

Since 2009, taxpayers in the Keystone State have paid $59.2 million to victims of police misbehavior.

On March 21, the City of Philadelphia announced that it had reached an agreement to pay a total of $9.2 million to 343 people in a class action suit related to instances of “excessive and unreasonable force” by members of the Philadelphia Police Department during the protests related to the 2020 death of Mr. Floyd.

PFD’s database shows that taxpayers in Philadelphia alone had paid out $54.3 million in settlements related to cases involving wrongful imprisonment, as well as alleged cases of beatings and shootings.

In a statement issued in the press release, a spokesperson for High Rise Financial said: “Some states are paying huge amounts due to mistakes made by their own police force. While this expenditure can be extremely high, it’s important that there are financial repercussions for police misconduct in order to ensure accountability and victim compensation.”