The family of a black man who died after a clash with Colorado cops finalized a $15 million settlement that will end their civil rights case.
A deal between the city of Aurora and the family of Elijah McClain has been in place since summer, but the terms were OK’d by a federal magistrate judge after a mediation session on Friday.
There will be a hearing in the near future to figure out how the settlement will be split between McClain’s parents, an attorney for his mother said.
McClain’s father’s attorney said the agreement is the largest settlement for a civil rights case in Colorado history. Dad LaWayne Mosley said in a statement provided to The Post that he hopes the settlement “sends a message to police everywhere that there are consequences for their actions.
“I hope Elijah’s legacy is that police will think twice before killing another innocent person,” Mosley said.
Mari Newman, Mosley’s attorney said the settlement will bring some peace to the family and others who demanded justice.
“In the two years since we began work on this lawsuit, there has been a revolution in Colorado’s – and the country’s – acknowledgment of the scourge of racist police brutality,” Newman said. “Thousands have chanted Elijah’s name in the streets of Colorado and the nation.”
Law firm Rathod Mohamedbhai, which represents McClain’s mother Sheneen, said she raised Elijah as a single parent.
“No amount of money will ever bring Elijah back to his mother,” the law firm said in a statement. “Ms. McClain would return every cent for just one more day with her son.”
Elijah McClain was unarmed and walking home from a convenience store on Aug. 24, 2019 when police approached him after a tip that he appeared suspicious.
Bodycam footage showed the 23-year-old massage therapist telling police he couldn’t breathe. Parademics arrived and injected him with a large dose of the sedative ketamine and McClain was later declared brain dead.
Local police reforms were sparked in the wake of his death and the three cops and two paramedics involved in the altercation were slapped with charges in September.