The family of Sandra Bland, an African-American woman who died in a Texas jail a year ago after a contentious traffic stop by a state trooper, has agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit for $1.9 million.
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September 15: An attorney for Bland’s family tells a Houston television station the wrongful death lawsuit has been settled for $1.9 million.
Demonstrators hold signs showing Sandra Bland, who was found hanged in her Texas jail cell after being taken into custody following a traffic stop, during a rally against police violence in NY in July 2015. She was found hanged in her cell three days later, and her death was ruled a suicide.
Lambert says authorities also say they will solicit new state legislation to fund revised booking and intake training, which they say will be named for Bland if it is passed. Dash cam video from Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia’s vehicle showed the officer pulling Bland over for an alleged improper lane change near the school. The video showed the trooper holding a stun gun and yelling, “I will light you up!” after Bland refused to get out of her vehicle. Bland was ultimately arrested and charged with attempting to assault an officer. The settlement with the Texas Department of Public Safety was capped by state statutes and will pay $100,000. Bland was found dead in her jail cell three days after she was pulled over for failing to use her turn signal in July 2015. “I think the non-monetary portion of the settlement is what’s very imperative here”, said Geneva Reed-Veal, Bland’s mother.
A timeline from the Waller County Sheriff’s Office said a guard stopped and briefly talked with Bland shortly after 7 a.m., but no one came back to check on her until 8:55 a.m.
In addition to the almost $2 million in compensation that the family will receive, the agreement stipulates that Waller County authorities will change their jail procedures.
July 23, 2015: The Waller County district attorney’s office reveals details of autopsy findings, which concluded Bland killed herself. A grand jury indicted Trooper Brian Encinia on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, with the misdemeanor charge.
In their lawsuit, Bland’s family contended jailers should have checked on her more frequently and that the county should have performed mental evaluations once she disclosed she had a history of attempting suicide.
Critics said race was a factor in her being pulled over while driving and for her arrest, which they said was sparked by the trooper escalating tensions.
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“It’s not a tentative it’s absolute, and we are very happy about it”, Lambert said. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and has since been fired from DPS. But it was unclear according to the documentation of the case whether or not she was suicidal at the time.
