Philando Castile’s mother has agreed to a nearly three-million-dollar settlement with the City of St. Anthony. Valerie Castile will receive $2.995 million in a civil claim related to the death of her son. As to whether the agreement equals an admission of guilt, Castile family attorney Robert Bennett says “well there’s no formal admission, but you can take what you will from the fact that almost $3 million is being paid. That’s not generally done if you’re not liable.” Philando Castile was shot and killed during a traffic stop by Officer Jeronimo Yanez on July 6th last year. Yanez was acquitted on all the charges. The settlement will paid through the city of St. Anthony’s coverage with the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust.
Bennett says of the money:
Here is the joint statement from Valerie Castile and the City of St. Anthony:
The mother of Philando Castile, acting as the Trustee for the Next-of-Kin of Philando Castile, with the advice and counsel of her lawyers Robert Bennett and Glenda Hatchett, and the City of St. Anthony Village, Minnesota have agreed to a settlement of all civil claims related to the death of Philando Castile during a police stop on July 6, 2016.
Under the terms of the settlement, Valerie Castile, as Trustee, will receive a payment in the amount of $2.995 million. The settlement will be paid through the City’s coverage with the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust. No taxpayer monies from the City of St. Anthony Village will be used to fund this settlement. The City and the Trustee were able to reach this agreement avoiding a federal civil rights lawsuit which may have taken years to work its way through the courts exacerbating the suffering of the family and of the community.
This settlement was made possible because of the good faith efforts of the City of St. Anthony Village, League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust and Valerie Castile. The death of Philando Castile is a tragedy for his family and for our community. The parties moved expeditiously to resolve potential civil claims resulting from this tragedy in order to allow the process of healing to move forward for the Castile family, for the people of St. Anthony Village, and for all those impacted by the death of Philando Castile throughout the United States .
No amount of money could ever replace Philando. With resolution of the claims the family will continue to deal with their loss through the important work of the Philando Castile Relief Foundation.
The important work of healing our community continues. The City of St. Anthony Village reaffirms its commitment to transforming its police department in partnership with the United States Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Through the Collaborative Reform Initiative, the City and residents are working to improve trust between the police department and the communities it serves.