Nearly two years after the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson, his family has finally settled a $3.35 million federal civil rights lawsuit.
Robinson, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by Madison Police Department Officer Matthew Kenny outside of a Williamson Street apartment March 6, 2015.
The $3.35 million settlement marks the highest amount paid in the state for an officer-involved shooting suit, according to the law firm representing Robinson’s family.
City of Madison dismissed as defendant in Tony Robinson case
Kenny was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne. After an internal investigation, MPD found Kenny acted within the department’s Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures.
The family’s attorneys announced the settlement Thursday morning.
According to the Associated Press, Kenny’s attorney Jim Palmer said he would’ve liked the civil case to go to trial so Kenny could further clear his name. MPD echoed a similar sentiment in a news release.
BREAKING – Record WI settlement for Madison police Shooting of Tony Robinson, Jr. #Justice4Tony https://t.co/ga9nVFXoiC pic.twitter.com/vhlklyvqIe
— Loevy + Loevy (@LoevyandLoevy) February 23, 2017
“Chief [Mike] Koval and other department leaders had hoped the civil case would proceed to trial so Officer Kenny could be cleared in this additional venue, however they understand that attorneys, insurance providers and risk managers have reached a business decision based on factors other than the actual facts of the case,” the statement said.
The Madison Professional Police Officers Association called the settlement decision “outrageous.”
Dan Frei, president of the organization, said in a statement that settling this case equates to the city “throwing [Kenny] under the bus.”
Frei also claimed the settlement is likely to hurt the morale of MPD.
“The city’s insurance company shouldn’t risk compromising an officer’s credibility and reputation for the sake of its bottom line, particularly when that officer did their job in accordance with their training and the law,” he said.
Madison community continues to seek change on one-year anniversary of Tony Robinson’s death
After being recently dismissed as one of the defendants in the lawsuit, MPD stated they were not involved in any negotiations of the case.
Kenny remains assigned to MPD’s Training Section and Mounted Patrol.
The Robinson family will hold a news conference Thursday afternoon. This post will be updated.
