REVERE, MA – JUNE 9: A demonstrator holds a sign for Botham Jean while marching during a demonstration on June 9, 2020 in Revere, MA for George Floyd and other Black Americans killed at the hands of law enforcement. The peaceful march was been planned by Black and Brown Youth, a group based in Revere, who have come together to form Black Lives Matter Revere. (Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
When the names of Black victims fade from the headlines, the questions of accountability often linger. Some suspects are acquitted or never charged; others are convicted. And sometimes, families win millions of dollars in civil court. No settlement can undo a death or make a family whole. But these legal victories can still matter, especially when they force cities to acknowledge the harm caused.
Most recently, Fort Worth approved a $3.5 million settlement for Atatiana Jefferson‘s family after she was fatally shot by police in 2019. So now, we’re looking at other cases where the families of victims were awarded millions.
Atatiana Jefferson: $3.5 Million
Atatiana Jefferson was inside her Fort Worth home when former Officer Aaron Dean fatally shot her through a bedroom window in 2019. Fort Worth approved a $3.5 million settlement for Jefferson’s nephew, Zion Carr, who was in the house when she was killed, WFAA reported. Dean was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to nearly 12 years.
George Floyd: $27 Million
George Floyd’s death became a defining moment of the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2021, the city of Minneapolis agreed to a $27 million civil rights settlement with his family—which attorneys noted at the time as the largest pretrial wrongful-death settlement in U.S. history, according to the BBC. As part of the agreement, $500,000 was allocated toward community improvements.
Botham Jean: $98.65 Million
Botham Jean’s case produced one of the largest civil-rights awards in recent U.S. history, but it was a jury verdict, not a settlement. In 2024, a federal jury awarded Jean’s family $98.65 million after finding former Dallas officer Amber Guyger liable for violating his civil rights. Guyger had entered Jean’s apartment and fatally shot him in 2018. Recently, Jean’s family sued the city to force the payout, according to CBS News.
William Green: $20 Million
William Green was handcuffed and sitting in the front of a Prince George’s County police cruiser when Officer Michael Owen Jr. fatally shot him six times in 2020. Later that year, the county agreed to a $20 million settlement with Green’s family, the New York Times reported. It was considered one of the largest one-time settlements involving someone killed by law enforcement.
Tamir Rice: $6 Million
Tamir Rice was just 12 years old when Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann shot and killed him outside a recreation center in 2014. Cleveland agreed to a $6 million settlement with Rice’s family in 2016, according to the Guardian. The city did not admit wrongdoing.
Korryn Gaines: $3 Million
Korryn Gaines was killed by a Baltimore County police officer during a seven-hour standoff at her apartment in 2016. Her five-year-old son was also shot and survived. In 2021, Gaines’ estate and family reached a $3 million settlement with Baltimore County, CBS reported. A separate $32 million jury award involving her son was ultimately capped.
Breonna Taylor: $12 Million
Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by Louisville police during a 2020 search of her apartment. Six months later, Louisville reached a $12 million settlement with her family, according to ABC News. Notable for extending beyond a cash payout, the settlement mandated structural police reforms—including stricter search warrant protocols, new drug-testing rules, and initiatives designed to bridge community-police trust.
Laquan McDonald: $5 Million
Laquan McDonald was 17 when Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shot and killed him in 2014. In a rare move before any lawsuit was formally filed, Chicago agreed to pay Laquan McDonald’s family $5 million—amounting to $1 million for every bullet that struck him, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The settlement came as officials fought over the release of police video showing the shooting. The footage later became central to national scrutiny of Chicago policing.
Eric Garner: $5.9 Million
Eric Garner’s final words—”I can’t breathe”—became a rallying cry during protests over police violence. Garner died in 2014 after an NYPD officer placed him in an apparent chokehold on Staten Island, according to ABC 7 News. In 2015, New York City agreed to pay his family $5.9 million. The city did not admit liability, but officials acknowledged the enormous impact of Garner’s death.
Freddie Gray: $6.4 Million
Freddie Gray died in 2015 after suffering a spinal injury while in Baltimore police custody. His death triggered protests, unrest and a national debate over policing and accountability. According to PBS, Baltimore officials approved a $6.4 million settlement with Gray’s family that year. City officials said the agreement would provide a measure of closure while protecting taxpayers from a lengthy civil trial.
Danroy Henry Jr.: $6 Million
Danroy “D.J.” Henry Jr., a Pace University football player, was fatally shot by a Pleasantville, New York, police officer in 2010 as he drove away from a disturbance outside a bar. In 2016, Henry’s family reached a $6 million settlement with the village and officer, CNN reported. The attorneys emphasized that no amount of money could replace their son.
Oscar Grant: $2.8 Million
Oscar Grant was fatally shot by a BART police officer on an Oakland train platform in 2009. According to CBS News, his mother later reached a $1.3 million settlement with BART, following a separate $1.5 million payment to Grant’s young daughter. Together, the payments totaled $2.8 million. Grant’s killing sparked protests and became an early flashpoint in the modern movement against police violence.
Lewis Butler: $779 Million
Lewis Butler’s case stands apart: His death did not involve police. Butler, a Black security guard, was murdered during an armed robbery at a Havana, Florida, internet café in 2023, according to WCTV. In 2025, a jury awarded his widow $779 million in a wrongful-death case. It was a verdict, not a settlement, and questions remained about whether the award would be paid in full.
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