The three brothers who sued the City of Burlington over allegations of excessive force by police in 2018 will receive $750,000 in exchange for dropping their claims, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced on Friday.
Albin, Charlie and Jeremie Meli filed suit in federal court in 2019 related to the response by Burlington Police Sgt. Jason Bellavance and Officer Cory Campbell outside a downtown bar on the night of Sept. 9, 2018. Camera footage showed Bellavance shoved Jeremie Meli, the bar’s owner, causing him to strike his head against a wall and apparently lose consciousness. Charges that had been filed against all three Meli brothers were later dropped.
On Tuesday, the City Council approved the settlement during a special meeting, but details of the terms of the agreement were not disclosed at the time.
Of the $750,000 settlement, $500,000 will come from insurance and $250,000 will be paid by the city, according to the agreement made public on Friday. The Meli brothers will drop their lawsuit, which had been pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals.
The agreement also called for a joint statement from the Melis and Weinberger. In the statement released on Friday, the group called the incident “an important catalyst for change” that led to a rewrite of the police department’s use-of-force policy, more emphasis on de-escalation and a policy to release body camera footage for all use-of-force incidents.
“The City is grateful to the Melis for their contributions to this progress and is committed to working with them on continued efforts to improve public safety and foster belonging in Burlington,” the statement says.
It goes on to describe a meeting with Weinberger where the Meli brothers, who are Black, described “their wish to support positive change, especially involving police interactions with people of color.”
“The Mayor expressed his sincere regret for the lingering harm this incident caused their family and gratitude to the Melis for their desire and commitment to engage the City in these important issues,” according to the statement.
Bellavance was initially suspended after the 2018 incident. He parted with the police department after the City Council authorized a $300,000 buyout.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated how much of the settlement insurance would pay.