Man left paralyzed in Connecticut police encounter gets $45 million settlement
Richard Cox, 36, known as Randy, was being taken to a police station in New Haven on June 19 on a weapons-related charge in a van that was not equipped with seat belts.
A man who was paralyzed while being transported in the back of a police van will receive a $45 million payout, ending a legal battle against the city of New Haven, Connecticut.
The man, Richard Cox, 36, known as Randy, was being taken to a police station in New Haven on June 19 on a weapons-related charge in a van that was not equipped with seat belts. When the vehicle came to a sudden halt, Cox, who was handcuffed, smashed headfirst into the van’s inside wall. The incident was captured on video.
The case was settled on Friday, two days after the city fired two police officers for their treatment of Cox. All five officers involved, including those fired, also face criminal charges in the case. An internal investigation into their conduct is ongoing.
“From day one after the tragic incident with Randy Cox occurred, we have been clear that we want to ensure accountability for the New Haven community and justice for Randy,” Mayor Justin Elicker said in an interview on Sunday. “We’ve been clear all along that we wanted to find a pathway to settle the case.”
Elicker said that the cost of Cox’s continued health care was a major factor when city officials decided how much money to pay him. He said that since the incident, the New Haven Police Department instituted a set of reforms, updated policies on the transfer of people in custody, and trained employees on their duty to intervene.
Last fall, Cox’s legal team filed a lawsuit in federal court in New Haven against the city and the officers, seeking $100 million in damages for his injuries and suffering. In separate legal responses, several of the officers claimed protection under qualified immunity — a legal doctrine that protects officials and law enforcement officers from being individually liable unless a constitutional right was clearly violated.
At the time, the officers and the city issued filings that said Cox’s injuries might have resulted in part from his own negligence. Cox’s attorney at the time said his client, who underwent several surgeries to repair his spine and is paralyzed from the chest down, was appalled by their response.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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