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Mike Brown's family, city of Ferguson, settle wrongful death lawsuit

The city of Ferguson has settled a federal lawsuit filed by Michael Brown Sr., shown here in 2016, and Lezley McSpadden over the 2014 death of their son, Michael Brown Jr.
File photo | Carolina Hidalgo | St. Louis Public Radio
The city of Ferguson has settled a federal lawsuit filed by Michael Brown Sr., shown here in 2016, and Lezley McSpadden over the 2014 death of their son, Michael Brown Jr.

The city of Ferguson has settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Michael Brown.

Federal district Judge Richard Webber accepted the settlement on Tuesday. The amount that Michael Brown Sr., and Lezley McSpadden will receive from the city, former police chief Tom Jackson, and former police officer Darren Wilson will remain confidential.

"Disclosure of the terms of the settlement agreement could jeopardize the safety of individuals involved in this matter, whether as witnesses, parties or investigators," Webber wrote. "The public policy to consider records open is outweighed by the adverse impact to the Plaintiffs."

Wilson shot and killed Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, on Aug. 9, 2014, an incident that set off sometimes violent protests. Wilson, who is white, was never charged with a crime, and the U.S. Department of Justice found in 2015 that Wilsondid not violateBrown's rights. But the Justice Department also found that Ferguson's police department and municipal courts routinely violated the civil rights of African-Americans.

Ferguson’s police and courts are now operating under a consent decree

Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rlippmann

Copyright 2017 St. Louis Public Radio

Lippmann returned to her native St. Louis after spending two years covering state government in Lansing, Michigan. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and followed (though not directly) in Maria Altman's footsteps in Springfield, also earning her graduate degree in public affairs reporting. She's also done reporting stints in Detroit, Michigan and Austin, Texas. Rachel likes to fill her free time with good books, good friends, good food, and good baseball.
Rachel Lippmann
Lippmann returned to her native St. Louis after spending two years covering state government in Lansing, Michigan. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and followed (though not directly) in Maria Altman's footsteps in Springfield, also earning her graduate degree in public affairs reporting. She's also done reporting stints in Detroit, Michigan and Austin, Texas. Rachel likes to fill her free time with good books, good friends, good food, and good baseball.