Elijah McClain’s Family Reaches Settlement With Aurora, Colorado
The family of Elijah McClain, an unarmed Black man who died after he was stopped by police while walking home from a Colorado convenience store in 2019, have reached a settlement with the city of Aurora, representatives for both parties said Tuesday.
Financial details of the settlement won’t be disclosed until the agreement is finalized and the family determines how to allocate it, according to lawyers representing Mr. McClain’s estate and his parents, Sheneen McClain and LaWayne Mosley.
“There’s no amount of money that could ever compensate Ms. McClain or Elijah’s family for their devastating loss,” said Matthew Cron, who represents Ms. McClain and the estate. “Sheneen would give anything for Elijah to experience the full, long life he deserves.”
Mari Newman, who represents the estate and Mr. Mosley, said Mr. Mosley hopes the settlement, along with criminal charges that have been brought against the officers and medics involved in his son’s death “will allow his family and the community to begin to heal.”
City leaders will sign the agreement once the allocation details are determined, according to Ryan Luby, a spokesman for the city. The settlement was reached over the summer as part of a continuing lawsuit filed by Mr. McClain’s family in August 2020. A local news station earlier reported that a settlement had been reached Monday after the district court detailed next steps for finalizing the agreement on Oct. 8.
The family sued the city as well as officers and paramedics involved in the incident, asking for accountability and to send “a resounding message that racism and brutality have no place in American law enforcement,” according to the 106-page complaint.
Representatives from the Aurora police and fire departments didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit and city’s settlement.
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