Family of Indian student killed in 2023 by Seattle police officer reaches USD 29 million settlement: report

The family of an Indian student, killed in January 2023 when she was struck by a police vehicle in Seattle, has reached a USD 29 million settlement with the city, according to a media report. Jaahnavi Kandulas death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family, city attorney Erika Evans said in the report.

The family of an Indian student, killed in January 2023 when she was struck by a police vehicle in Seattle, has reached a USD 29 million settlement with the city, according to a media report. Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was struck by a police vehicle driven by Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave as she was crossing a street on January 23, 2023. Dave was driving at 74 mph (more than 119 kmh) on the way to a report of a drug overdose call. Kandula was thrown 100 feet when she was struck by the speeding police patrol vehicle. PubliCola web portal reported that the Seattle City Attorney's Office reached a settlement last week with Kandula's family. ''Jaahnavi Kandula's death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,'' city attorney Erika Evans said in the report. ''We also recognise that her loss has left unimaginable pain. Jaahnavi Kandula's life mattered. It mattered to her family, to her friends, and to our community,'' she added. In September 2024, the family brought a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and Dave for USD 110 million, as well as an additional USD 11,000. The settlement totals about USD 29 million, and the USD 11,000 amount, the report said. The additional figure in the suit was in ''reference to callous remarks'' made by Seattle Police Department officer Daniel Auderer. In their claim, filed in King County Superior Court, attorneys wrote that Kandula ''experienced terror, severe emotional distress, and severe pain and suffering before dying.'' Last year, Interim Chief of the Seattle Police Department Sue Rahr said that she had fired Dave. Auderer was also fired following his insensitive comments and laughter after Kandula's death. In bodycam footage released by the Seattle Police Department, Auderer was heard laughing after the deadly crash and had remarked that ''Uh, I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, and then when he hit the brakes, flew off the car…But she is dead.'' After making these comments, Auderer ''laughed hard for four seconds,'' the department's Disciplinary Action Report said. Auderer's body-worn camera also captured him as saying, ''Yeah, just write a check. Just, yeah (laughter). USD 11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.'' When asked at an Office of Police Accountability interview about his comments that Kandula had ''limited value'', Auderer had claimed he was ''ridiculing the city attorneys who would be tasked with litigating a potential wrongful death lawsuit.'' Rahr had said in an internal email, seen by PTI, that the hurt Auderer's words inflicted on Kandula's family ''cannot be erased. The actions (of) this individual police officer have brought shame on the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the job of every police officer more difficult.'' The Consulate General of India in Seattle had worked consistently with authorities and law enforcement officials to ensure justice in the case, with Auderer's firing and the action against Dave bringing a sense of closure and justice for Kandula's family. The Consulate had been in regular touch with Kandula's family representatives and had said that it would continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Jaahnavi and her family.

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