The city of Minneapolis will pay $600,000 to settle a lawsuit by a woman who alleged that ex-police officer Derek Chauvin hauled her from her minivan and pinned her to the ground with his knee in January 2020, as he did four months later when he killed George Floyd. Patty Day, formerly employed by the Public Works Department, said in a lawsuit that she was the victim of excessive force and a wrongful arrest. She acknowledged that she was drunk on Jan. 17, 2020, and depressed over her impending divorce and other difficulties when she got stuck in the snow for several hours, reports the Associated Press. Chauvin and his partnet, officer Ellen Jensen, allegedly “violently yanked” Day from her vehicle and threw her to the pavement, causing several injuries.
“Chauvin then assumed his signature pose, pressing his knee into the subdued and handcuffed Patty’s back — just as he would later do to snuff the life out of George Floyd — and remaining that way well after Patty was controlled,” the suit alleged. A drunken driving charge was dropped after a judge ruled that the officers lacked probable cause to arrest her and suppressed the blood alcohol test evidence. The city has now paid over $36 million to settle police misconduct cases involving Chauvin, including $27 million to the Floyd family.
“While no settlement can undo what Patty endured, we are grateful to have reached an agreement that holds the officers accountable for their actions,” said Day’s attorney, Katie Bennett. “This case is yet another example of the critical need for justice and reform in policing.” Chauvin remains in a federal prison in Texas for his conviction in state court of murdering Floyd and a federal conviction for violating Floyd’s civil rights.