Judge accepts $1.9M settlement of Sandra Bland wrongful-death suit [Lawsuit Settlements Do Not Stop White Supremacy/Racism]

Dallas News

A federal judge on Tuesday accepted a $1.9 million settlement agreement between the family of Sandra Bland and Waller County officials and the state trooper who arrested her.

Bland, 28, was found dead in her jail cell in July 2015, days after she was arrested for a minor traffic infraction.

The death became a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement during a period when violent encounters between law enforcement and black people sparked a national conversation.

Shortly after Bland died, her mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, sued Waller County officials and law enforcement for negligence.

As part of the settlement, county officials agreed to improve how inmates are booked and supervised at the jail and other facilities lacking immediate access to medical services, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The settlement was first announced in September. Bland family attorney Cannon Lambert told KTRK-TV that the Department of Public Safety will pay $100,000, an amount capped by state law, and the Waller County Jail will pay the remaining amount. [MORE]