Denver Council Approves $3.3M Settlement for Jail Abuse Claims

The Denver City Council has given its initial approval of a $3.3 million offer to settle abuse claims at the Colorado city’s jail.

The Denver Post reports councilors voted on the tentative settlement at a meeting Monday evening and will consider approving the offer Aug. 4.

Last week, a federal judge accepted the deal to settle a lawsuit filed by former inmate Jamal Hunter. He says a deputy ignored his screams while inmates attacked him and scalded his genitals with hot water in July 2011. Cameras captured another deputy choking Hunter 12 days later.

The payout is considered the largest in Denver history to settle a civil rights claim. Mayor Michael Hancock on Monday called for an outside review of the sheriff’s department.