The City of Atlanta has agreed to pay $450,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man shot by a police officer at a strip club in 2015.
In a resolution approved by the city council last month, Demetric Favors and his attorneys were awarded the settlement, ending a legal battle.
“The city attorney has done an extensive review of the facts and the law and has determined that defendant’s potential financial exposure in defending plaintiff’s claim is in excess of the settlement amount,” a settlement resolution states. “Whereas, the city attorney considers it to be in the best interest of the defendant to pay the settlement amount to settle all claims against the city.”
On Oct. 10, 2015, Favors was seriously injured when Atlanta Officer Emmanuel Thompson fired five shots at a moving SUV. Thompson believed a suspect in a theft was inside the vehicle and initially claimed he was attempting to protect others in the parking lot, according to a lawsuit filed by Favors.
The Atlanta Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards investigated the shooting and found Thompson was not justified in the shooting. When OPS recommended he be fired, Emmanuel resigned, the lawsuit states.
In 2017, Favors sued the city for violations of his civil rights but that case was later dismissed. In July 2020, U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg dismissed the case, stating the city could not be held liable.
Earlier this year, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the dismissal of Favors’ lawsuit against the city in a summary judgment, sending it back to the district court. In their ruling, the appellate judges said the city’s failure to properly train Thompson was a factor in his decision to shoot five times.
“The City argues that Favors has provided ‘no link’ between the City’s training and his constitutional injury. This record suggests otherwise,” the appeals court decision reads. “For instance, Favors provided evidence that Thompson was not trained in the use of less-than-lethal force in the 22 months leading up to the shooting.”
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