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Mike Brown's family, city of Ferguson, settle wrongful death lawsuit

Michael Brown Sr. stands at the back of the Ferguson Community Center's event space during the public comment portion of a 2016 Ferguson city council meeting.
File photo | Carolina Hidalgo | St. Louis Public Radio
The city of Ferguson has settled a federal lawsuit filed by Michael Brown Sr., shown here in 2016, and Lezley McSpadden over the 2014 death of their son, Michael Brown Jr.

The city of Ferguson has settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Michael Brown.

Federal district Judge Richard Webber accepted the settlement on Tuesday. The amount that Michael Brown Sr., and Lezley McSpadden will receive from the city, former police chief Tom Jackson, and former police officer Darren Wilson will remain confidential.

"Disclosure of the terms of the settlement agreement could jeopardize the safety of individuals involved in this matter, whether as witnesses, parties or investigators," Webber wrote. "The public policy to consider records open is outweighed by the adverse impact to the Plaintiffs."

Wilson shot and killed Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, on Aug. 9, 2014, an incident that set off sometimes violent protests. Wilson, who is white, was never charged with a crime, and the U.S. Department of Justice found in 2015 that Wilsondid not violateBrown's rights. But the Justice Department also found that Ferguson's police department and municipal courts routinely violated the civil rights of African-Americans.

Ferguson’s police and courts are now operating under a consent decree

Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rlippmann

Rachel is the justice correspondent at St. Louis Public Radio.