City officials are paying out more than half-a-million dollars after officers injured protesters rallying against police brutality in summer 2020.
The $620,000 settlement comes in response to a civil rights lawsuit filed five years ago by the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley, San Jose Peace and Justice Center and community organizers such as Derrick Sanderlin — who was shot by police in the groin with a 40mm less lethal projectile during citywide protests against the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. This settlement to six individuals ends all pending lawsuits.
San Jose officials attempted to block the lawsuit from moving forward, going so far as to unsuccessfully invoke qualified immunity for Michael Panighetti, the police officer who shot and injured Sanderlin. San Jose decided to settle the matter out of court, after Ninth Circuit Court Judge Jacqueline Nguyen said the officer intended to restrain Sanderlin with the projectile…