What is the difference between the civil settlement and the criminal case?
There are two separate legal cases arising from the death of Freddie Gray, a criminal case and a potential civil suit. The criminal case, which can lead to criminal punishment like jail, is between the state of Maryland and the six officers. The civil suit would have been initiated by Freddie Gray’s family against the City.
After months of negotiation, the family agreed to settle all civil claims against the city (and the officers) for $6.4 million dollars. The settlement had to be approved by the Board of Estimates. As of this morning, the board approved the settlement. The sum will be paid to the family over the next two years.
Does the civil settlement have any impact on the criminal trials?
No. The City agreeing to settle a potential civil suit is not an admission of guilt of any criminal wrongdoing. By settling with the family, the City accepted “civil liability” for the death of Freddie Gray, but this settlement cannot be used as proof of guilt against the officers in their individual criminal cases. There are numerous reasons parties decide to enter into settlement agreements. The City and the Gray family were able to avoid years of litigation by settling the claims.
What is the latest information regarding the criminal cases against the officers?
Because the civil and criminal processes are separate, the criminal trials against the six officers will continue to move forward as planned.
What happened at the September 10, 2015 pretrial hearing?
Judge Williams ruled that the Officers' trials will remain in Baltimore.
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@baltimoreactionlegal.org.