*Esaw Snipes, the widow of Eric Garner, has reached an agreement with the city of New York to settle out of court the wrongful death case of Eric Garner for $5.9 million.
In addition to the family’s multi-million dollar come up, the New York Housing Authority says Snipes can continue to live in her apartment at Fulton Houses in Chelsea rent free. Because of federal law, the money from her lawsuit settlement is not counted as disqualifying income, per NY Post.
The Garner family almost certainly would have received more if the case had proceeded to trial, but they didn’t want to continue reliving Eric’s death. Garner died at the hands of police as he yelled “I can’t breathe” on July 17, 2014. His tragic death was captured on video and ignited worldwide outrage that helped fuel the Black Lives Matter movement.
An autopsy revealed Garner died from compressions of the neck, and his death was ruled a homicide. The feds took over the case after a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo. A lawyer close to the case said the Justice Department considers the federal prosecution of Pantaleo “very much an active case,” but the NY Daily News recently reported that Federal prosecutors are pushing to close Garner’s chokehold probe.
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Meanwhile, Garner’s family said they are out of the loop regarding the probe’s progress.
“We don’t know what’s happening,” Garner’s widow Esaw said. “All I know is they’re taking too long. They’ve got to do something.”
“I’m just waiting like everybody else,” she added. “My family’s been waiting for justice for a long time.”
It is estimated that Snipes’ share of the settlement will be close to $2.9 million. NY Post reports that the head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association slammed the city’s record-breaking $5.9 million settlement with the family as “obscene” and “shameful.”
During the case proceedings it was discovered that Garner had a girlfriend and a daughter outside of his legal marriage. Jewel Miller had a 3-year relationship with Eric prior to his death, and is the mother of his 2-year-old daughter, Legacy. A DNA test proved that Legacy is Garner’s daughter and is in line to get the largest share of a pending settlement.
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