Cleveland, OH — Richard Hubbard and Yolimar Tirado, an African American couple from Ohio, have been awarded a $450,000 settlement from the city of Euclid in connection to a 2017 traffic stop incident when a police officer was caught on video repeatedly beating Richard.
According to reports, the city agreed to pay to settle a lawsuit filed by 29-year old Richard and his partner, 28-year old Tirado after a five-hour mediation in federal court last month.
Almost four years ago, Euclid Police Department officer Michael Amiott, who was white, was caught on video attacking Hubbard during a traffic stop. They were civilly talking at first when things escalated quickly when Hubbard asked why he had been stopped.
The officer ordered him out of his car before pushing him, grabbing his neck, punching, and kicking him repeatedly. Eyewitnesses apparently also saw the officers laughing and fist-bumping with each other after the assault.
Amiott was fired months after the incident but was reinstated later on. He was charged with assault and the case is still pending.
Meanwhile, Richard was initially charged with resisting arrest, driving without a license, and a traffic signal violation. Tirado also faced charges of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and allowing an unlicensed driver to operate her car. Prosecutors later dropped all the charges.
Christopher McNeal, an attorney representing Richard and Yolimar, called the settlement a victory for the couple.
“In these situations, the indignations that African Americans suffer often go unseen, unheard, and uncompensated,” McNeal said, according to Cleveland.com. “I’m grateful that these individuals will be compensated for the pain and suffering that they went through.”