Upon the advice of her legal team, Esaw Garner, accepted a settlement deal when New York City comptroller Scott Stringer agreed to increase the amount to $5.9 million. This came after Garner, Eric Garner's widow, refused a $5 million offer earlier in the day, as HNGN reported. This is the largest amount that the city has awarded so far for a wrongful death case.
Negotiations between Garner's family and city authorities took on a more urgent pace in the past days as the deadline to file the lawsuit loomed nearer. The one year statute of limitation will expire on Friday. The move for settlement is often the more preferred method to resolve lawsuits filed against New York City. This is to ensure quick closure for the family as well as for the city, which could save more money rather than pay for costly legal fees, according to Time.
Eric Garner died in police custody a year ago after being subjected to a police chokehold. In video footage that captured the incident, NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo was seen confronting the victim on suspicion of selling cigarettes. In the brief struggle that ensued, Garner was put in a chokehold, which medical examiners confirmed to have contributed to Garner's death.
Jurors who reviewed the evidence did not find strong evidence to indict Pantaleo, according to a previous Mirror report. He was given a desk job as he awaited the resolution of the Garner case.
The Garner family is planning a rally on Friday, the anniversary of Eric Garner's death. They will be asking the federal government to file charges against the officers involved in the chokehold incident. "It seems like because they didn't prosecute the officers on Staten Island, all the other officers were like, 'Hell. We'll get away with it. Let's just do it again," Esaw Garner was quoted saying in an Inquistr report.
