# George Floyd cases *Criminal and civil proceedings arising from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.* The George Floyd cases are the state prosecutions, the federal civil-rights prosecutions, and the federal wrongful-death suit that followed the death of George Floyd, 46, during an arrest by four [[Minneapolis Police Department]] officers in [[Minneapolis]] on May 25, 2020.[^1] On April 20, 2021, a jury convicted officer [[Derek Chauvin]] of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. All four officers were later convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, federal civil-rights charges. The [[City of Minneapolis]] paid $27 million to settle the family's suit.[^1] On September 11, 2020, Judge [[Peter Cahill]] disqualified [[Hennepin County Attorney]] [[Michael O. Freeman]] and three of his staff lawyers from the cases. Their removal followed a meeting between staff and the [[medical examiner]], in alleged violation of attorney conduct rules.[^2] The conviction was obtained by the team of Attorney General [[Keith Ellison]], to which Freeman supplied "strategic advice and coordination".[^2] The department's first public account was issued early on May 26, 2020. It said Floyd had physically resisted officers and did not mention Chauvin kneeling on his neck. Later that day, after bystander and security-camera video had circulated, the department fired all four officers.[^3] ## Who Floyd was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He grew up in Houston's Third Ward and moved to the Minneapolis area in 2014, living in St. Louis Park.[^4] Chauvin was 44 at the time and had served with the Minneapolis Police Department since 2001.[^4] [[Tou Thao]], 34, began as a part-time community service officer in 2008 and graduated from the police academy in 2009. Six complaints had been filed against him, and none led to discipline. A 2014 lawsuit alleging that he beat a handcuffed man was settled for $25,000.[^4] [[J. Alexander Kueng]], 26, and [[Thomas Lane]], 37, were licensed as officers in August 2019, and Chauvin conducted most of Kueng's field training.[^4] Judge Cahill presided over Chauvin's state trial in [[Hennepin County District Court]].[^5] U.S. District Judge [[Paul A. Magnuson]] was assigned the federal civil-rights trial.[^5] Andrew Baker, Hennepin County's chief medical examiner since 2004, performed the county autopsy on May 26, 2020.[^3] Freeman served as Hennepin County Attorney from January 7, 1991, to January 5, 1999, and again from January 3, 2007, to January 2, 2023.[^2] Ellison's office, as [[Minnesota Attorney General]], carried the prosecution after Freeman's disqualification.[^2] ## What **State criminal cases.** The jury found Chauvin guilty on all counts. He was sentenced on June 25, 2021, to 22½ years in prison.[^1] In May 2022, Lane pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. On September 21, 2022, he received three years, to run concurrently with his federal term of 2½ years.[^1] Kueng pleaded guilty on October 24, 2022, to aiding and abetting manslaughter. He received 3½ years, also concurrent with his federal sentence.[^1] Thao waived a jury on the state charge and submitted the case to a judge for review of the evidence.[^1] **Federal criminal cases.** The four officers were charged federally with abusing their positions as police officers.[^5] In December 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty to violating Floyd's civil rights through unreasonable force and by ignoring his serious medical distress. Kueng, Lane and Thao were later convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights.[^1] **Civil case.** The family sued the City of Minneapolis and the four officers in federal court in July 2020. The complaint alleged that Floyd's Fourth Amendment rights were violated by "excessive use of unjustified, excessive, illegal, and deadly force".[^6] It named no figure for damages.[^6] **Autopsies.** Both the county examination and an examination by physicians working for the family classified the death as a homicide. The two disagreed on contributing factors.[^3] Baker's final findings, issued June 1, 2020, attributed the death to "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression".[^3] ## When - **May 25, 2020:** Floyd is arrested outside Cup Foods and dies after being restrained.[^1] - **May 26, 2020:** The police department issues its first statement, then fires the four officers.[^3] - **May 29, 2020:** Charging documents summarizing Baker's preliminary findings are made public.[^3] - **June 1, 2020:** Both autopsies are released.[^3] - **July 2020:** The family files its federal wrongful-death suit.[^6] - **September 11, 2020:** Judge Cahill disqualifies Freeman and three staff lawyers.[^2] - **March 8, 2021:** Chauvin's trial begins. Opening statements follow on March 29 and closing arguments on April 19.[^5] - **March 12, 2021:** The city announces the $27 million settlement.[^6] - **April 20, 2021:** Chauvin is convicted, and Cahill revokes his bail.[^5] - **May 12, 2021:** Cahill permits the prosecution to seek a sentence above the guideline, finding that Chauvin treated Floyd "with particular cruelty".[^5] - **June 25, 2021:** Chauvin is sentenced.[^1] - **December 2021:** Chauvin pleads guilty to federal charges.[^1] - **May 2022 and September 21, 2022:** Lane pleads guilty to the state charge and is later sentenced.[^1] - **October 24, 2022:** Kueng pleads guilty to the state charges.[^1] - **April 17, 2023:** A three-judge panel of the [[Minnesota Court of Appeals]] affirms Chauvin's conviction.[^5] - **July 19, 2023:** The [[Minnesota Supreme Court]] denies review.[^5] - **November 20, 2023:** The United States Supreme Court rejects Chauvin's petition.[^5] ## Where The arrest took place at Cup Foods, at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis's Powderhorn Park neighborhood.[^7] The state trial was held in Hennepin County District Court in Minneapolis.[^5] The civil suit was brought in federal court.[^6] ## Why The pack does not establish why the arrest ended as it did beyond the court findings and pleas above. As a result of Floyd's death, the [[United States Department of Justice]] reviewed the Minneapolis Police Department. Its report, released in June 2023, found that the department had a pattern and practice of: - using deadly and other force excessively; - disproportionately searching and stopping Black and Native American people; - violating protesters' free-speech rights; and - discriminating against people with behavioral health disabilities during emergency responses.[^8] Attorney General Merrick Garland said that "the patterns and practices we observed made what happened to George Floyd possible".[^8] ## How A store employee believed Floyd had paid for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill, and another employee called police.[^7] Kueng and Lane reached Floyd's parked SUV at 8:08 p.m. Lane drew his gun while ordering Floyd to show his hands, then pulled him from the vehicle and handcuffed him.[^7] Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while Floyd lay handcuffed and face-down. Kueng and Lane helped hold him, and Thao kept bystanders from intervening.[^1] Floyd said repeatedly that he could not breathe, then stopped speaking. When Kueng was urged to check, he found no pulse.[^1] ## How much The city's $27 million settlement was approved unanimously by the City Council. It exceeded the city's previous record of $20 million, paid in 2019 in the killing of Justine Damond. Of the total, $500,000 was set aside "for the benefit of the community around 38th and Chicago".[^6] Chauvin's 22½-year sentence exceeded the 12.5-year state guideline.[^5] ## How many - Four officers were charged federally.[^5] - Two autopsies and one autopsy review found the death a homicide.[^1] - Three staff lawyers were disqualified with Freeman.[^2] - At least 17 state legislatures banned or restricted chokeholds and other neck restraints in the year after Floyd's death.[^8] ## In the at-issue record The project's at-issue record carries one pair on these cases (AI-Hennepin-003, also filed as AI-003). The pair sets the September 11, 2020 disqualification against a March 2025 White House presidential action on eliminating information silos.[^9] The same dossier section records how Freeman's office handled four police-conduct matters:[^2] - **Jamar Clark (2016):** Freeman declined to charge the officers. - **Thurman Blevins (2018):** Freeman declined to charge the officers. Body-camera footage showed that Blevins fired at the officers first. - **[[Mohamed Noor]] (2018):** Freeman charged Noor in the killing of Justine Damond. The result was the first murder conviction of a Minnesota police officer for an on-duty killing. - **Floyd (2020):** Freeman charged Chauvin and three other officers. A recall petition drive followed, citing the delay in charging and Freeman's refusal to recuse. Chauvin's conviction was the second murder conviction of a Minnesota officer, after Noor's.[^5] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who The Legislative Reference Library records Freeman's service in the [[Minnesota Senate]] for District 40 from 1982 to 1991, including a term as Majority Whip in his second term.[^10] He holds a J.D. from the [[University of Minnesota Law School]] (1974).[^2] He lost the 1994 DFL endorsement to [[John Marty]]. In 1998 he won the DFL endorsement but lost the primary to [[Skip Humphrey]].[^2] ## Omissions in official accounts Early on May 26, 2020, the Minneapolis Police Department stated: "After Floyd got out of his car, he physically resisted officers. Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress." The statement said nothing about Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck.[^3] Hours later, video showing the kneeling circulated. The department then revised its statement, citing "new information" and announcing that the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] had joined the investigation. It fired all four officers that day.[^3] Chauvin was later convicted of murder for the restraint.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Murder of George Floyd*, lead section (revision 1380295129, retrieved 2026-10-27) — the restraint and the officers' roles; the firing; the settlement; the convictions, sentences and pleas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Michael O. Freeman* (as cited in Freeman Apex Dossier §III.d, 2026-09-02) — Freeman's tenure and record; the September 11, 2020 disqualification; the "strategic advice and coordination" to Ellison's team; the recall drive; the Clark, Blevins and Noor decisions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O._Freeman [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Murder of George Floyd*, "Investigations and criminal charges" (retrieved 2026-10-27) — the May 26 police statements and firings; the autopsies; Baker's findings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Murder of George Floyd*, "People involved" (retrieved 2026-10-27) — the ages, service records and backgrounds of Floyd and the officers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Murder of George Floyd*, "Trials and plea agreements" (retrieved 2026-10-27) — the trial dates, sentencing departure and appellate history; the federal charges and judge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Murder of George Floyd*, "Civil litigation and settlement" (retrieved 2026-10-27) — the complaint and the $27 million settlement terms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd [^7]: Wikipedia contributors, *Murder of George Floyd*, "Arrest and murder" (retrieved 2026-10-27) — the location and the initial arrest sequence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd [^8]: Wikipedia contributors, *Murder of George Floyd*, "Aftermath" (retrieved 2026-10-27) — the June 2023 Justice Department review findings; Garland's statement; state neck-restraint laws. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd [^9]: The White House, *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025) — the presidential action used as the anchor of at-issue pair AI-Hennepin-003. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^10]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Legislators Past & Present: Michael O. Freeman* (n.d.) — Freeman's Senate District 40 service, 1982–1991. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10197