COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Columbus has agreed to pay a Black motorist $30,000 after a civilian review board determined bias was present in a traffic stop by city officers.
On Monday, Columbus City Council unanimously approved a settlement in a federal lawsuit brought by Ryan Pitts against three Columbus police officers – Emily Geier, Lucas Lauvray and Daxston Cates – regarding their conduct at an August 2023 traffic stop.
Before filing the lawsuit in August 2025, Pitts submitted a complaint to the Columbus Department of the Inspector General in 2023 just days after the traffic stop. The DIG is a civilian oversight agency established to investigate allegations of misconduct against Columbus police.
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The office subsequently sustained policy violations against Geier and Lauvray, including failure to provide enough reasonable suspicion for the stop, rudeness, use of profanity and biased-based policing, according to the council’s legislation…