Jackson settles wrongful death suit in case of George Robinson
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Jackson has settled a wrongful death suit in the case of George Robinson.
On Tuesday, the council approved paying Bettersten Wade $17,786.25 as a settlement in the case, which she filed against the city back in 2019.
“I strongly recommend this, and this is a resolution of any and all claims against the city and all officers that were involved,” City Attorney Drew Martin said.
The measure was approved on a unanimous vote. However, at least one council member thought the settlement was too small.
“I’m saying it just sends the wrong message about human life, especially Black people’s lives,” Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes said. “I think a step in the right direction would’ve been to pay the family a little bit more. Some people not going to support the idea of how much was made, others might, but a lot of people going to have a bad taste in their mouth.”
According to city documents, the settlement does not “constitute an admission of liability on the part of the city of Jackson, Anthony Fox, Desmond Barney, and Lincoln Lampley,” the officers named in the lawsuit. In other words, the city is not admitting guilt or admitting liability.
Wade, Vernice Robinson, and others filed suit against the city and the three officers in October 2019, months after they claimed Robinson was pulled from his vehicle and beaten. Robinson later died from his injuries.
One officer, Fox was eventually convicted in the case. However, in January, the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned the conviction of the former JPD detective, saying there was “insufficient evidence” that he was guilty of the crime.
Wade also is the mother of Dexter Wade, who was run over by an off-duty Jackson Police officer in early 2023. Wade alleges the department failed to tell her that her son was dead in retaliation for the wrongful death suit.
Dexter Wade eventually was buried at the Hinds County Pauper’s Cemetery. Bettersten Wade found out her son’s body was interred there back in October.
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