Austin’s 80 APD-related civil lawsuit settlements total $37 million, driven largely by 2020 protest cases

Overview

The City of Austin has resolved nearly 80 civil lawsuits tied to actions by Austin Police Department (APD) officers over the past five years, with settlement payments collectively exceeding $37 million. The cases span a range of allegations and incidents, including excessive force claims, wrongful-death matters and traffic crashes involving police vehicles.

Settlement amounts have varied widely, from small payments in the low thousands to multi-million-dollar resolutions, with the largest reaching $8 million. City payments in these matters are typically made through municipal risk and liability funding mechanisms designed to cover claims and judgments.

Protest-related cases account for major payouts

A significant share of the highest-dollar settlements is connected to APD’s response to demonstrations in downtown Austin in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Multiple lawsuits were filed by people who said they suffered serious injuries after officers used “less-lethal” impact munitions during crowd-control operations near police headquarters.

Among the largest known resolutions from that period is an $8 million settlement paid to Justin Howell, who sustained catastrophic head injuries after being struck by a bean bag round during the May 2020 protests. Other protest-related settlements have also reached into the millions, including payments approved for people reporting skull fractures, eye injuries and long-term neurological damage.

• Settlements tied to 2020 protest injuries have cumulatively reached tens of millions of dollars as additional cases have been resolved over time.
• Several lawsuits stemming from those events were still pending or continuing through 2025, reflecting the long tail of complex civil litigation.

Policy and legal backdrop

After the 2020 protests, APD made changes to crowd-control practices, including discontinuing the use of certain bean bag rounds in some contexts. At the same time, criminal cases tied to protest-related use of force have moved through local courts over several years, with outcomes varying by defendant and charge.

Separately, federal civil-rights litigation involving APD actions continues to face high legal thresholds. In one closely watched case involving a 2021 fatal shooting, a federal judge dismissed claims against APD as an institution during trial in July 2025, while allowing claims against an individual officer to proceed.

Financial pressure on the city’s reserves

The scale and frequency of police-related settlements have landed amid broader fiscal constraints for the city. Austin adopted a $6.3 billion budget for the 2025–2026 fiscal year and later approved amendments after voters rejected Proposition Q, a measure that would have enabled a higher property tax rate. City budget deliberations in 2025 and late 2025 focused heavily on shoring up core services while managing reserve levels and long-term financial exposure.

In municipal practice, settlements resolve claims without a trial verdict and can limit additional litigation costs, while also reflecting the city’s assessment of legal risk and potential damages.

What to watch

With major payouts still occurring years after the underlying incidents, the city’s total liability costs will depend on the pace and outcomes of remaining lawsuits, future policing-related claims and the city’s ability to maintain adequate reserve funding. Additional settlements or court judgments could further shape budget decisions in coming years, particularly as Austin balances public safety spending with other citywide priorities.