Judge accepts $1.9M settlement of Sandra Bland wrongful-death suit

A federal judge on Tuesday accepted a $1.9 million settlement agreement between the family of Sandra Bland, who was found dead in her jail cell days after she was arrested for a minor traffic infraction, and Waller County, Texas, officials and the Texas state trooper who arrested her.

As part of the settlement, Waller County officials agreed to make improvements to how inmates are booked and supervised at the jail and other facilities lacking immediate access to medical services, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Bland’s death became a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement during a period when violent encounters between law enforcement and African-Americans had sparked a national conversation.

Bland’s mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, sued Waller County officials and law enforcement for negligence in Bland’s death shortly after she died.

The settlement was first announced in September. Bland family attorney Cannon Lambert told KTRK-TV that the Department of Public Safety will pay $100,000, an amount capped by state law, and the Waller County Jail will pay the remaining amount.