A teen who was severely injured in a 2008 police pursuit in Petersburg and the family of a teenager who was killed in the chase have settled their lawsuits against a Petersburg police officer for $779,999, lawyers for both sides said Friday.
The settlements, which were finalized Wednesday, supersede two verdicts returned in September by a Petersburg jury that awarded compensatory and punitive damages to the families totaling $2,059,000.
“These claims were settled not because we agreed with the allegations or thought they had merit,” said attorney John Conrad, who represented Officer Christopher Womack. “This was an economic decision.”
The plantiffs’ lawyer, Charles H. Cuthbert Jr., said it made sense to settle the case. “Why retry the case over $220,000 when the expenses and litigation are going to consume it?” he said.
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