{"id":1837,"date":"2026-05-19T10:44:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/19\/louisiana-payout-cannot-erase-pain-of-ronald-greene-death-by-police-lawyer\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:44:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:44:50","slug":"louisiana-payout-cannot-erase-pain-of-ronald-greene-death-by-police-lawyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=1837","title":{"rendered":"Louisiana payout cannot erase pain of Ronald Greene death by police \u2013\u00a0lawyer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"5253a1a6-70fb-487a-ada0-660897481726\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"people hold signs that read 'justice for Ronald Greene'\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/917b23555add454526f6c22d41b6830e93d0c789\/0_0_7753_5163\/master\/7753.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"309.660131561976\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Family members of Ronald Greene at a protest in Washington in 2020.<\/span> Photograph: Reuters<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"5253a1a6-70fb-487a-ada0-660897481726\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Family members of Ronald Greene at a protest in Washington in 2020.<\/span> Photograph: Reuters<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Louisiana payout cannot erase pain of Ronald Greene death by police \u2013\u00a0lawyer<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Ben Crump says $4.85m police settlement over fatal traffic stop helps to show how \u2018truth must always come to light\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cNo amount of money can erase\u201d the pain that motorist Ronald Greene\u2019s death at the hands of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/louisiana\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Louisiana<\/a> police inflicted on his loved ones, but a $4.85m settlement which the state has agreed to pay his family helps illustrate how \u201cthe truth must always come to light\u201d, their attorney has said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/law\/2022\/apr\/29\/its-part-of-our-culture-to-marginalize-minorities-in-america-ben-crump-wants-to-change-that\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Ben Crump<\/a> recently expressed those sentiments in a statement that served as one of his and his clients\u2019 first public reactions to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/12\/ronald-greene-settlement-lousiana-police-sheriff\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">news<\/a> first reported by the Guardian that mediation talks on 12 May had yielded a settlement between Louisiana authorities and Greene\u2019s family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Subject to approval by Louisiana\u2019s legislature, the settlement would end a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by Greene\u2019s daughter, Tayla, after the Associated Press in 2021 obtained video footage showing officers punching, kicking and using stun guns on her father. The outlet\u2019s publication and reporting of that footage, which was captured by officers\u2019 body-worn cameras but then held secret, ensured attention on Greene\u2019s case across the US and prompted outrage over it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Greene, who is Black, died when five white officers violently arrested him on the side of a road outside the Louisiana community of Monroe in 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Authorities for two years shielded the public from the truth about the circumstances of the traffic stop and high-speed chase immediately preceding Greene\u2019s death. State police refused to release footage of the arrest and claimed Greene, 49, died after crashing into a tree during the chase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Yet the video later obtained by the AP then showed officers had shocked the unarmed Greene with stun guns as he apologized for the pursuit. Officers tackled Greene to the ground, put him in a chokehold and punched him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">They dragged Greene while he was handcuffed and his legs were shackled \u2013 before leaving him on the ground without aiding him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI\u2019m your brother!\u201d Greene screamed during his arrest. \u201cI\u2019m scared! I\u2019m scared!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Officers at first had sought to stop Greene for an unspecified alleged traffic violation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Two of the officers were eventually charged by local authorities with misdemeanor battery: Kory York of Louisiana\u2019s state police, and Chris Harpin of the Monroe-area Union parish sheriff\u2019s office. Each pleaded no contest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Another of the officers, Gage Hollingsworth of the state police, died in a high-speed, single-car wreck in 2020, within hours of being told he was being fired over his role in Greene\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Federal justice department prosecutors declined to bring charges in the case. In the final days of Joe Biden\u2019s presidency, the US justice department found that Louisiana\u2019s state police engaged in a pattern of excessive force during arrests and car chases. But the justice department rescinded those conclusions after the beginning of Donald Trump\u2019s second presidency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The AP reported the truth about Greene\u2019s death roughly a year after a bystander recorded video of a white Minneapolis police officer murdering Black resident <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/george-floyd\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">George Floyd<\/a>, igniting racial justice protests internationally. Crump represented Floyd\u2019s family in a wrongful death lawsuit that culminated in a $27m settlement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Louisiana\u2019s Republican attorney general, Liz Murrill, on 13 May confirmed without detailing specifics that there had been a settlement agreement with Greene\u2019s family. \u201cIt was time to end this litigation,\u201d said the statement from Murrill, who alluded to the fact that Greene died during the administration of former Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A few days after Murrill\u2019s statement, Greene\u2019s mother, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2022\/feb\/05\/louisiana-police-ronald-greene-death-mother\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Mona Hardin<\/a>, wrote on social media that she and her family were \u201cstill fighting for accountability\u201d seven years on from the death of her son.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe ALL hurt like hell, Ronnie,\u201d Hardin wrote. \u201cMissing you terribly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>The AP contributed reporting<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/louisiana\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Louisiana<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-police\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US policing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-justice-system\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US justice system<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/race\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Race<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Louisiana%20payout%20cannot%20erase%20pain%20of%20Ronald%20Greene%20death%20by%20police%20%E2%80%93%C2%A0lawyer&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/ronald-greene-louisiana-motorist-death-settlement?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F19%2Fronald-greene-louisiana-motorist-death-settlement&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/ronald-greene-louisiana-motorist-death-settlement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Family members of Ronald Greene at a protest in Washington in 2020. Photograph: Reuters View image in fullscreen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}