Ferguson, Missouri, Will Pay $4.5 Million to Settle Lawsuit Accusing the City of Operating a ‘Debtors’ Prison’

The St. Louis suburb where Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer has agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused it of operating a so-called debtors’ prison.

The legal nonprofit ArchCity Defenders announced the settlement Tuesday with the city of Ferguson, Missouri. The preliminary agreement calls for the money to be paid out to more than 15,000 people who were jailed between Feb. 8, 2010, and Dec. 30, 2022, for failing to pay fines, fees and other court costs.

Michael Brown, 18, was fatally shot by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014, during a street confrontation. Wilson was not charged, but the shooting led to months of protests and prompted a Department of Justice investigation.

Read the source article at AP News