#CherryJuice: Baltimore To Pay Freddie Gray Family $6.4M

Baltimore Announces $6.4 Million Settlement in the Death of Freddie Gray

The city of Baltimore settled for $6.4 million with the family of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who sustained a fatal spinal injury in police custody. The news of the settlement comes just days before a judge decides whether or not to move the trials for the six officers charged in Gray’s death from Baltimore.

The Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, made a statement in a news release that stressed the fact that the settlement does not admit the liability of the city nor the officers involved.

“The proposed settlement agreement going before the Board of Estimates should not be interpreted as a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the officers facing trial,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said. “This settlement is being proposed solely because it is in the best interest of the city, and avoids costly and protracted litigation that would only make it more difficult for our city to heal and potentially cost taxpayers many millions more in damages.”

Gray’s settlement exceeds the amount that was settled in the Eric Garner case where New York officials paid $5.9 million to the family of Garner in a wrongful death claim.

Barbie Hernandez | IG: @barbie_VXXV | Twitter: @barbie_VXXV