Obtained $1.375 Million Settlement for Police Misconduct, Excessive Force, and Racial Discrimination

Code v. Chauvin, Arradondo, Johnson & MPD

Robins Kaplan civil rights attorneys secured a $1,375,000 settlement on behalf of client, Zoya Code. The lawsuit filed against Derek Chauvin, the City of Minneapolis, and several additional Minneapolis Police (MPD) officers alleged police misconduct, use of excessive force, and racial discrimination against Code during a 2017 incident, three years before the murder of George Floyd.

Zoya Code posed no threat to MPD officers or any others while handcuffed and was not resisting arrest. Despite this, Chauvin still chose to use excessive force, torquing her already handcuffed wrists and arms upward and behind her head while Code was face down. Additionally, Chauvin slammed Code’s head on the ground and pinned his knee to the back of her neck. He then placed her in a “hobble” restraint for no reason, where she remained for 4 minutes and 41 seconds in a similar position to both incidents with George Floyd and John Pope. The second MPD officer on scene did not intervene and the use of excessive force was approved by the supervising Sergeant. Neither Chauvin nor any other officers received discipline for this blatant misconduct.