Judge affirms settlement of lawsuit filed by family of man who died after police pulled him from car

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A judge has ordered the enforcement of a lawsuit settlement between Mississippi’s capital city and the family of a man who died after police officers pulled him from a car while searching for a murder suspect. George Robinson died in January 2019, days after the encounter with three Jackson police officers. His relatives sued in October 2019, alleging the officers viciously beat 62-year-old Robinson. The Jackson City Council approved a payment of about $17,800 to settle the suit in April, but an attorney for Robinson’s family said the city had violated a confidentiality agreement. A judge ruled Friday that the settlement is binding and the city cannot keep settlements secret.