The Kenosha City Council voted 17-0 last week to deny Jacob Blake up to $50,000 in damages after he was shot by police last year.
Blake was shot seven times on August 23 by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey who was responding to a domestic disturbance call. Blake was armed with a knife and attempting to get into the driver’s seat of an SUV when he was shot.
Blake’s attorney filed a request on March 11 seeking damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and trauma from disfigurement from the shooting. State law caps what a municipality can pay in such cases at $50,000, though Blake’s attorneys filed an itemized statement estimating costs from his injuries at a much higher $776,614.67, according to the Kenosha News.
The claim Blake filed could be the initial step of a lawsuit against the city for the $50,000 payout. Blake has already filed a federal lawsuit against Sheskey over the shooting. It is unclear whether Blake will file suit against the city, as well.
“The federal civil rights suit is being pursued, and the potential state claim, essentially the same cause of action with caps on damages, would be superfluous of it. We are considering options,” Blake’s legal team said in a statement.- READ MORE
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