Derek Chauvin’s attorney wants his client’s trial held in another location after the city of Minneapolis paid the family of George Floyd a $27 million settlement.
Eric Nelson, the attorney for the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering Floyd in May of last year, argued that the release of the terms regarding the Floyd family settlement tainted the jury pool.
DEATH AND ‘AUTONOMOUS ZONE’ GRIP GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE AHEAD OF CHAUVIN TRIAL
“The fact that this came in the exact middle of jury selection. It’s perplexing to me,” Nelson told Judge Peter Cahill on Monday. “Whose idea was it to release this information?
Nelson motioned to call back the jurors already assigned to the case and ask them whether they were aware of the settlement, adding that the news was “highly prejudicial” against Chauvin.
On top of a request for a new trial location altogether, Nelson argued that further hearings should be delayed.
Cahill told the court he won’t reach a decision on Nelson’s requests just yet but said the city’s conduct was “concerning.”
“I wish city officials would stop talking about this case so much,” he told the court.
Nelson already filed a motion for a new trial location in November of last year, but the court denied the request.
News of the settlement, the largest in Minneapolis police history, came Friday.
“It’s not just enough for America to say that George Floyd’s life matters. We have to show that George Floyd matters by our actions,” Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing Floyd’s family members, said that afternoon.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved the payout. The Floyd family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, as well as four city police officers, including Chauvin, in July.
As of Monday morning, seven jurors have been selected for the criminal cause against Chauvin, who is facing two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter.
