NYC Settles for $7.15M in Sean Bell Police Shooting
Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Justin Chaucer in Other
New York City agreed to pay more than $7 million to settle for the unjust death civil suit lodged by the fiancée and pals of Sean Bell. Sean Bell was fatally shot in his car by the police on his wedding day in 2006. The settlement was approved by a Brooklyn federal magistrate that ended the four-year legal battle with Nicole Paultre (Sean Bell’s fiancée) and two men wounded in a 50-shot barrage that claimed Sean Bell’s life.
The agreement said that Nicole Paultre, the mother of Sean Bell’s two kids, will receive $3.25 million. While Joseph Guzman will receive $3 million and Trent Benefield will receive $900,000. Guzman and Benefield were both wounded in the police gunfire outside the Club Kalua strip club on Nov. 25, 2006, just hours before Bell was to get married. The police fired on Bell’s care after they had mistakenly believed that someone inside had a gun and that Bell was trying to run them down. There was not a single weapon found in the car Bell was driving nor in the possession of Guzman or Benefield.
Detectives Michael Oliver, Marc Cooper and Gescard Isnora were acquitted of manslaughter at a trial in 2008 of criminal charges from the Bell shooting. Federal Magistrate Roanne Mann signed the settlement. Michael A. Cardozo, the city’s corporation counsel said in a statement, “The Sean Bell shooting highlighted the complexities our dedicated officers must face each day. The city regrets the loss of life in this tragic case, and we share our deepest condolences with the Bell family. The city is also settling claims with Mr. Guzman and Mr. Benefield. We hope that all parties can find some measure of closure by this settlement.”
Sean Bell’s parent, Valerie and William Bell, said in a statement: “Our family is happy that they were able to reach a settlement, but it’s not enough. No amount of money will ever replace Sean and what my family has lost, including his time and his love.”
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