Family of Charleena Lyles settles wrongful-death lawsuit against City of Seattle for $3.5 million

A $3.5 million settlement was reached in the wrongful-death lawsuit over the 2017 killing of Charleena Lyles by two Seattle Police Department officers, according to the family’s attorney Karen Koehler.

Koehler said a settlement agreement was reached Monday night.

Officers Steven McNew and Jason Anderson shot 30-year-old Lyles while responding to a burglary call at Lyles’ apartment near Magnuson Park on June 18, 2017.

The officers opened fire after they said Lyles confronted them with a knife. Lyles, who was pregnant, was shot and killed in front of her children.

A wrongful-death lawsuit was filed in September 2017 but dismissed in 2019 by former King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector. The 2019 ruling was appealed and reversed on Feb. 16, 2021 and remanded to superior court for trial. The trial was set for Feb. 7, 2022.

The family claimed Seattle police violated Lyles' civil rights, that its officers were negligent, and that they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act because she was mentally ill.

According to the family's attorneys, they argued in court that the officers didn't plan properly for the situation, nor did they follow their training and department policy. They also argued the officers weren't properly equipped, pointing out neither officer had a taser and "showed up with one option - to shoot her."

Because a settlement was reached, the lawsuit against Seattle is dismissed.

The city issued the following statement regarding the settlement:

“It is indisputable that this has been a tragedy, and we are glad to have some level of closure for the parties. We stand by the multiple layers of review of this event and are pleased that the officers will be dismissed from the lawsuit. The remaining parties will be mutually seeking judicial approval for a resolution of all claims.”

[SOURCE KING 5]

MARCUS FREEMAN NAMED 30TH HEAD FOOTBALL COACH AT NOTRE DAME

Marcus Freeman, one of the rising young stars in the profession and architect of the highly-ranked Fighting Irish defense, today has been named the 30th Dick Corbett Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame.

Freeman will be introduced on Monday, December 6 at a 2:00pm ET press conference and will coach the Irish in their upcoming bowl game.

“It is an honor to be named the head coach of Notre Dame Football,” said Freeman. “I am eternally grateful to both Father John Jenkins and Jack Swarbrick for giving me the opportunity to lead the exceptional men who make this program what it is. Notre Dame is a very special place and I look forward to pursuing a national championship with the most outstanding student-athletes, coaches and staff in college football.”

“Marcus Freeman has not only proven himself a superb football coach, he has shown–both in his time at Notre Dame and in my conversations with him this week–that he is a person of highest integrity who cares deeply about our student-athletes and is committed to their success in the classroom as well as on the field,” said University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. “I am excited to welcome him as our new head football coach, and to have his wife, Joanna, and their six beautiful children in the Notre Dame family.”

“Marcus’ ability to connect with people, his fit at Notre Dame and the way he coaches young men set him apart as we went through our search process,” said University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick. “I can’t wait to see how the culture created by these remarkable student-athletes continues to grow under the tutelage of Marcus and his staff.”

In his first season with the Irish, he led a transformation on the defensive side of the ball that includes a number of Top-20 national rankings. The Irish rank sixth nationally in interceptions (15) and defensive touchdowns (4), seventh in total sacks (40.0), 11th in turnovers gained (23) and scoring defense (18.2) and 18th in third-down conversion percentage (.329). The 40.0 team sacks is one shy of the program record of 41 from the 1996 season.

Freeman has overseen sophomore Isaiah Foskey’s breakout season as a starter on the defensive line. Foskey has tallied 10.0 sacks this year, fourth-most in program history for a single season. The depth of the Irish defense has been on full display in 2021 as 15 different players have recorded a sack and 21 different players have had a tackle-for-loss. The 15 interceptions are the most in a single season since 2014 when the Irish had 16. In November, the Irish had three-straight games without allowing a touchdown for the first time since 2012.

Prior to coming to South Bend, Freeman spent the previous four seasons as the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati. During his time with the Bearcats, he was named the 2020 247Sports.com Defensive Coordinator of the Year and 2020 Broyles Award Finalist along with a nominee for the Broyles Award in 2019 and 2018.

Prior to his time at Purdue, Freeman coached linebackers at Kent State from 2011-12, helping develop all-conference selections Luke Batton and C.J. Malauulu.

Freeman started his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Ohio State, in 2010 and the Buckeyes went 12-1 with a victory in the Sugar Bowl.

Freeman is just the third Notre Dame head coach to have been selected in the NFL Draft, and is the first since Ara Parseghian was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1947. He is the 23rd Notre Dame head coach to have Division I playing experience and the first since Tyrone Willingham.

During his playing career, Freeman was a four-year letterwinner for the Buckeyes from 2004 to 2008. He played under current Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell and earned second team All-Big Ten honors in 2008 while helping lead Ohio State to four conference titles, three BCS bowls and two trips to the national title game during his career.

He played in the 2009 Senior Bowl and was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, spending time with the Bears, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans before a medical condition ended his playing career.

Freeman graduated from Ohio State in 2007 and returned to the classroom to earn his master’s degree in 2011.

Miss Kentucky Elle Smith crowned Miss USA 2021

Miss Kentucky Elle Smith has won the 2021 Miss USA pageant. Smith's victory makes it three years in a row that a Black woman was crowned Miss USA.

Smith is a 2020 graduate of University of Kentucky, the school said on Twitter. She majored in Broadcast Journalism, according to a biography posted by Louisville's WHAS11, where she works as a reporter. While at UK, Smith served as vice-president of the school's National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) chapter, the station said.

Smith posted about her victory on Instagram:

GOD IS SO GOOD.

I am thrilled and honored to be your Miss USA 2021. I can’t say thank you enough to every single person who has supported me on this journey. Every single comment, every single message and prayer did not go unnoticed.

To the great state of Kentucky, you will forever have my heart. You believed and loved on me since I was crowned in May and there is no other state I would have wanted to represent on the Miss USA stage.

She will go on to represent the U.S. at the 2021 Miss Universe pageant, scheduled for Dec. 12 in Eilat, Israel.

Florida law school creates Ben Crump social justice center

A South Florida law school on Thursday announced the creation of a social justice center named after Ben Crump, the Black civil rights attorney who has gained national prominence representing victims of police brutality and vigilante violence.

The Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice, housed at the St. Thomas University College of Law in Miami Gardens, aims to nurture the next generation of civil rights lawyers while also pushing more racial and gender diversity in the legal profession.

Beginning with a $1 million leadership grant from Truist Financial Corp.'s charitable fund, the Crump Center will support an incubator program for students looking to establish themselves in civil rights and social justice lawyering. The center also will increase need-based financial aid for students and will assist new lawyers with expanded pro bono service placements.

On Thursday, the law school also will launch a $35 million fundraising campaign to expand its ongoing training of lawyers who fight for social justice. The money is expected to be used for construction of a new building for the Crump Center, as well as new classrooms and simulated courtrooms.

Public NJ Golf Course Brings Back Original Name To Honor Its African-American Ownership And History

A NJ golf club located in Scotch Plains was renamed back to its original name, Shady Rest this week, just in time for a 100th anniversary gala on Friday night celebrating its African-American history.