$2.25 Million Civil Settlement for Ferrell Family
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – $2.25 million: that’s how much the City of Charlotte will pay Jonathan Ferrell’s family to settle the civil suit they filed in January 2014. City council unanimously approved the deal. Thursday’s announcement comes nine weeks before the criminal trial for CMPD Officer Wes Kerrick. Kerrick’s charged with voluntary manslaughter in Ferrell’s death.
Charlotte City Mayor Dan Clodfelter says, “We really aren’t able to talk about the criminal trial and I don’t know what impact, if any, this could have on the criminal trial.”
City Attorney Bob Hagemann says, “Please note that the settlement contains no admission of fault or liability.”
Kerrick’s attorneys say they are “primarily disappointed” with what they call CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe’s initial rush to judgment in charging Kerrick hours after the September 2013 shooting. Kerrick’s attorneys say Ferrell refused to obey police orders that night, rushed Officer Kerrick and even grabbed his gun.
In a statement to WCCB Charlotte, they say Monroe’s judgment “…caused our elected city officials, behind closed doors, to decide to spend precious taxpayer dollars on a civil settlement despite not having seen any of the evidence in this case and despite Officer Kerrick not having been found at all liable in the civil suit.” Kerrick’s attorneys insist “true justice” will come when Kerrick is acquitted in his upcoming July criminal trial.
Meantime, Ferrell’s mother, Georgia, told WCCB in part, “We are grateful that this case has been resolved, but it is devastating to know that nothing we do will ever bring Jonathan back.” And, “We will now focus our attention on the upcoming criminal trial…”
Charles Monnett is the attorney who represented Ferrell’s family in the civil suit. He tells WCCB Charlotte, “We’re pleased the city wanted to resolve the case early. We think it was the right thing to do.”
The settlement money comes from a reserve fund, and the city attorney says it will have no effect on the budget this year–of which there is a $22 million shortfall. The settlement will be paid in a matter of days. The largest settlement the city has ever paid was more than $5 million in 2003. The largest settlement that involved CMPD was $4.5 million in 1986. You can count on WCCB Charlotte for continuing coverage, on air and on our web site as the Kerrick case goes to trial in July.
