The family of George Robinson is rejecting a deal they reached with Jackson, Mississippi, according to Dennis Sweet III, the family’s attorney, because they feel the town broke the confidentiality agreement it signed.
City officials received the refusal letter on Wednesday, the very same day that council members revealed a settlement had been reached about the unlawful murder of Robinson, whom three police officers killed.
The city council agreed to pay almost $17,000 to Robinson’s family during their meeting on Tuesday.
After hearing from municipal officials that the city had dire financial problems and lacked the considerable finances to settle the case, Sweet claims that the family consented to the settlement on April 12.
According to Sweet, Robinson’s family found out during mediation that the city made the deal public instead of approving it in executive session. Sweet also named city Officials as plaintiffs whose cases were filed secretly.
Days after three Jackson police officers rescued 62-year-old George Robinson from a vehicle in their pursuit of a murder suspect, Robinson passed away in January 2019.
The Jackson City Council on Tuesday authorized a settlement of $17,786 to resolve the lawsuit Robinson’s family filed in state court in October 2019.
According to municipal filings, the city and the three policemen listed in the case did not admit guilt in the settlement. The three cops, including Robinson, are Black.
A unanimous majority was needed to authorize the payment to the family, which included Bettersten Wade, Robinson’s sister. According to Sweet, the city appears to claim or infer some perceived victory, and Wade plans to keep using them due to the public revelation.
Robinson, 61, passed just two days after what witnesses described as cops beating him with their flashlights and slamming him against the pavement in January 2019, according to his relatives. Robinson was examined by an ambulance team and discharged without treatment, according to the police.
According to Sweet, the ambulance firm and Robinson’s family reportedly secured a separate substantial settlement.
The prosecution decided not to press charges of second-degree murder against two of the police officers. Former Hinds County detective Anthony Fox was found guilty of culpable negligence manslaughter in August 2022 by a Hinds County jury; however, his conviction was reversed in January of this year by the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
