The next court date for the excessive force lawsuit filed by the family of Jamar Clark, a man shot by Minneapolis police in 2015, has been set for late August.
Next public hearing for lawsuit over 2015 fatal shooting of Jamar Clark lawsuit set for late August
June 28, 2019 at 1:04AM
A six-minute hearing Thursday resulted in setting Aug. 27 for the city's pending motions. U.S. District Judge Michael Davis also appointed Jonathan Lebedoff, a retired magistrate, to talk to the parties and encourage mediation leading up to the next hearing.
Although Davis previously had pushed for mediation, a session with Magistrate Tony Leung yielded nothing.
The case is unusual in several respects. A settlement was negotiated with Clark's father James, but the Minneapolis City Council rejected the five-figure deal it was asked to pay as being too low.
Davis summoned city leaders to his courtroom to explain the status of the case, which was filed in 2017. The plaintiff agreed to release from the suit the officer who fired the fatal shot at Clark, leaving only the claim against the officer who pushed Clark to the ground. That officer, Mark Ringgenberg, told his partner to shoot when Clark tried to grab his holstered gun.
Charges weren't filed against Ringgenberg or his partner, Dustin Schwarze. Clark's death sparked protests on the North Side of Minneapolis, and a group continues to push for "Justice for Jamar."
A $20 million settlement was reached in May in the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, fatally shot in 2017 by Minneapolis officer Mohamed Noor. Noor was convicted of third-degree murder.
Rochelle Olson
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Republicans across the country benefited from favorable tailwinds as President-elect Donald Trump resoundingly defeated Democrat Kamala Harris. But that wasn’t the whole story in Minnesota.
