Lawyers for Alton Sterling's family counter settlement offer, want faster payout from city-parish
BATON ROUGE - Lawyers representing the children of Alton Sterling, who was shot and killed by a Baton Rouge police officer in 2016, have agreed to settle his wrongful death lawsuit for $4.5 million but only if the city-parish agrees to speed up the payment timeline.
On Feb. 10, the East Baton Rouge Metro Council approved a $4.5 million settlement offer for Sterling's five children, which included an upfront payment of $1 million from the the city-parish's Insurance Reserve Funds. The remaining $3.5 million would be paid over the next four years.
The Advocate reports lawyers for Sterling's family are now requesting the East Baton Rouge Metro Council agree to a revised plan that would pay the money out over three years. The new proposal would pay $2 million upfront, with the remaining $2.5 million paid out over the following two years.
The metro council is expected to consider the revised offer March 10.
Mayor Pro Tem LaMont Cole confirmed the counter was a product of discussion between city-parish attorneys and the Sterling family's lawyers. Cole said if the parish's finance department greenlights the new terms, he expects it to pass.