Esaw Garner, the widow of Staten Island police victim Eric Garner, turned down a $5 million settlement offered by the City of New York last week.
According to the New York Daily News, sources close to the Garner family say that their attorney, Jonathan Moore, has urged the family to reverse course and accept the money before Friday. On that day, the statute of limitations will run out for the family to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Previously, the family said it is considering suing for $75 million. The settlement offer of $5 million would be larger than settlements reached in similar cases in recent years past, such as that of the late Sean Bell, whose family received $3.25 million in 2010.
Last week, Esaw told the Daily News, "It seems like because they didn’t prosecute the officers on Staten Island, all the other officers were like, 'Hell. We’ll get away with it. Let’s just do it again.'"
A grand jury voted not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who wrestled Garner to the ground, whereupon he had an asthma attack and died. Pantaleo had confronted Garner on suspicion he was selling loose cigarettes on the street.
Moore has reportedly urged Esaw Garner to accept the $5 million settlement and seek further compensation by filing a separate lawsuit against the EMTs from Richmond University Medical Center, who did not provide oxygen or CPR to Eric Garner as he asphyxiated.
If the Garner family rejects the settlement, the case would likely take more than three years to process.
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