Denver to pay men shot by police with projectiles $465,000

The summer 2020 George Floyd protests in downtown Denver have led to multiple lawsuits against the Denver Police Department.Photo byColin LloydonUnsplash

The Denver City Council likely will approve Monday two lawsuit settlements totaling $465,000 for Nicolas Orlin and Shawn Murphy, who police allegedly shot in the face with projectiles during the George Floyd protests in 2020.

The settlements appear on the City Council’s consent agenda. Items on the agenda are considered routine and generally pass in a block vote. However, it is likely that two council members – Sarah Parady and Shontel Lewis – will call the settlements out for comments. Parady and Lewis have been monitoring every dollar spent on police payouts, which occur almost weekly.

The $437,500 paid to a journalist last month who was shot by rubber bullets during a protest is just the latest in a string of settlements paid by the Denver Police Department. In July, a man received $75,000 from police. He had been assaulted by police in his car while sitting peacefully in his church parking lot. Also that month, an activist and YouTuber for people experiencing homelessness shared a $100,000 settlement from the City of Denver with her husband after they accused police of violating their civil rights, according to the agenda . She also received a second settlement for $30,000, according to the agenda.

Millions distributed in police payouts

In June, the council awarded $500,000 in police and sheriff’s department settlements. The first, stemming from a lawsuit filed against the police department in U.S. District Court, case 2023 CV00750-RM-JPO, was for $100,000. The second settlement was for $400,000 to be paid to Scott Peters and stems from a prisoner’s civil rights allegedly being violated, according to Justia. According to Justia, the lawsuit lists as defendants the City and County of Denver, Daniel Rodriguez, John Doe 1, John Doe 2, John Doe 3-12, Mohammed Mohammed, Michael Fitzmaurice, James Casias, Billie Humbles, Daniel Trujillo, Ian Schiffhauer, Michael Bennett, Cherif Sarr and Noreen Roberson.

For the police lawsuit in U.S. District Court, case 2023 CV31159, the plaintiff is Lidya Ryans, and the defendants are Grisleit Blanco, Patrick Smith, and Christopher Brown.

Police settlements common

Police lawsuit settlements have become commonplace in Denver. In March, the council paid $20,000 to a man who alleged police falsely handcuffed him. In February, the council paid out $55,000 in settlements. In October, the council awarded $1.6 million to people injured in the summer 2020 protests of the death of George Floyd. In September, the council paid out more than $1.3 million in police settlements. A week earlier, Denver had paid out $1.1 million. In August, Denver paid out $4.7 million to people it had arrested for curfew during protests. In July, the city settled two lawsuits against the police department for $305,000. In May, Denver paid $135,000 to settle two claims against the police department. In April, the city paid a man $350,000 after he claimed Denver police violated his rectum with a police baton. In March, the city settled half a dozen lawsuits totaling $1.6 million.

Also Monday, the council likely will transfer $3.5 million from the general fund to the liability fund to continue to fund the payoff. The item appears on the consent agenda.