This image from video from Louisiana state police state trooper Dakota DeMoss' body-worn camera, shows trooper Kory York bending over with his foot on Ronald Greene's shoulder after he was taken into custody on May 10, 2019, outside of Monroe, La. (Louisiana State Police via AP)
Louisiana State Police has agreed to pay the family of Ronald Greene $4.8 million to settle the wrongful death case. The settlement comes almost seven years to the day after a group of white troopers fatally beat Greene, who was Black, during a traffic stop in Union Parish. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says given the degree of liability for the loss of a human life, this is a very reasonable settlement.
“Depending on what side of the table you’re on, you might say it’s low. You might say it’s high. But in the immortal words of our President, ‘Any good deal or negotiation is going to leave both sides both happy and sad at the same time,'” Borghardt said.
Borghardt says this was the best possible outcome for everyone involved.
“It gives the family closure. It resolves the case. In terms of accountability, it’s not going to really hold the actual individual troopers accountable because they’re not the ones paying the money,” Borghardt noted.
As for whether this settlement will serve as a deterrent from something like this from happening again, Borghardt says this is more of a case of the settlement being the icing on the cake.
“This case had enough publicity, especially when everything came to light, that I think that prevention had already kickstarted before this settlement,” Borghardt explained.
In a statement, Attorney General Liz Murrill says the state agreed that it was time to end the litigation, which arose under the prior administration, and put the matter behind everyone involved.
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