Derek Chauvin (Photo by Minnesota Department of Corrections via Getty Images)
As Derek Chauvin spends the majority of the rest of his life behind bars, eight correctional officers of color at his prison just scored a massive payday following a recent lawsuit judgement. It was just confirmed that a group of POC correctional officers received a $1.5 million-dollar settlement citing racial discrimination after they were banned from guarding Derek Chauvin.
@ABCNews reports, back in May 2020 eight correctional officers of color were officially banned from guarding Derek Chauvin and essentially doing their jobs, following an order from then-Superintendent of Ramsey County Adult Detention Center, Steve Lydon. Fast forward over two years later, and those officers were just awarded $1.5 million in a racial discrimination settlement from a previous lawsuit they filed.
After being banned from guarding Derek Chauvin, the officers filed formal charges of discrimination with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights a month later. Unfortunately, those filings were closed, so the correctional officers filed a separate lawsuit. That led to a complaint in February 2021 where the eight officers cited multiple allegations that violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act, including race/color discrimination and a hostile working environment.
Following the news of the multi-million-dollar settlement, Trista Matas Castillo, Chairwoman of the Ramsey County Board, formally apologized to the correctional officers.
“The actions taken by Sheriff’s Office leadership that day were more than just wrong – they were racist, heinous, highly disrespectful and completely out of line with Ramsey County’s vision and values. No one ever should have questioned your ability to perform your job based on the color of your skin.”
