A white officer who fatally shot a Black driver inside a car during a struggle in 2017 must pay his family $4.4 million.
A jury in Ohio decided on Tuesday that Euclid officer Matthew Rhodes acted recklessly when he climbed into the car of 23-year-old Luke Stewart and shot him as Stewart drove away. After hearing evidence from prosecutors, a grand jury declined to indict Rhodes after the shooting inflamed racial tensions in Euclid, a Cleveland suburb.
Stewart’s mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit, which led to the jury’s decision. According to the panel, Rhodes must pay Stewart’s family $3.9 million for the loss of his support and companionship, as well as $500,000 for the pain and suffering he endured. However, Rhodes will not be required to pay punitive damages or attorney’s fees to the family.
According to the family’s attorneys, the verdict provided long-awaited accountability for what happened to Stewart. A lawyer for Rhodes did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Stewart’s family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and the officer, but the case was dismissed by a trial court, and an appeals court agreed, citing a lack of clearly established law prohibiting the officer’s conduct. In a decision issued in May 2021, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
In that lawsuit, Stewart’s family claimed that police training in the city “encouraged, or at least condoned excessive force.” The training included the use of a Chris Rock sketch in which he gave “tips” on how to avoid being beaten by police, as well as cartoons allegedly making fun of police violence.
