$14 Million Denver Verdict To Be Looked At By Pending Police Protest Cases Across The Country

DENVER (CBS4) - Twelve people injured while protesting the death of George Floyd in Denver challenged the response by Denver police in court. The first to go to trial, they are now the first to have a $14 million verdict in their favor.

"This is the first of those cases to get to a jury trial, and I think the size of this jury verdict sends a message not just to the Denver Police Department, but to police departments all around the country," Director of ACLU Colorado Mark Silverstein said.

Silverstein says with cases pending in other cities, and particularly those still open in Denver, the case will be a guide for others.

"What we have as of Friday is a jury verdict, which is the equivalent of finding of fact, that the City and County of Denver itself is responsible for the individual action of police officers," he said.

In a statement Denver's Department of Safety acknowledged a need to do more, but the Denver Police Protective Association had its own response.

"The men and women of the Denver Police Department acted with nothing less than honor, integrity, courage and bravery," Nick Rogers said.

Rogers is the President of the Denver Police Union. He says they held the line with the city's future in mind.

"Buildings and businesses would have been destroyed, and there would not have been anything to return to," he said.

Silverstein says the verdict, reached by a jury of Denver citizens, speaks for itself.

"That the current policies and practices violate the constitutional rights of people who come out to peacefully protest and that those policies and practice are what needs to change," he said.