Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadde have been outspoken about their son’s death since it happened in 2014. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The family of slain 18-year-old Michael Brown has reached a settlement in their wrongful death suit and many have attacked the victim by calling him “thug” and accused his mother and father of being bad parents.
U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber approved the settlement Tuesday, June 20, but did not disclose the terms, the Associated Press reported. Webber wrote in the three-page decision that the settlement amount was “fair and reasonable compensation for this wrongful-death claim and is in the best interests of each Plaintiff.” Brown’s parents, Michael Brown Sr. and Lezley McSpadden, will get equal portions of the settlement, the amount of which will be “a closed court record” to spare those involved in the case from danger.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III and Anthony Gray, Brown’s parents’ lawyer, did not comment on the agreement.
Brown Sr. and McSpadden, sued the city of Ferguson, Mo., former Police Chief Tom Jackson and former police officer Darren Wilson in 2015 stemming from Wilson fatally shooting their son a year earlier after Brown was accused of stealing cigarillos from a convenience store. Brown’s parents said their son’s murder by Wilson, who is white, caused them to face financial loss from wages Brown could have earned in the future. Their suit also said Wilson used “unnecessary and unwarranted profane language,” which caused the encounter to escalate.
A St. Louis grand jury did not indict Wilson in the case, which led to outrage in the majority Black city.
As a result of the settlement news, which broke just one day after a report that Warner Bros. is looking to bring Brown’s story to the big screen, many online commenters have bashed Brown Sr. and McSpadden.
Some have slammed their parenting skills.
And seemed to accuse Brown Sr. and McSpadden of looking for a handout.
Others have taken aim at Brown by deeming him a “thug.”
One person took a shot at all three parties.
A few felt the family owed the city of Ferguson money.
