DENVER — The City and County of Denver must pay $14 million to protesters as a result of the Denver Police Department’s use of force during 2020 George Floyd protests, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision that officers violated 12 protesters’ First and Fourth Amendment rights through unjustified and excessive use of force and that the city was liable for those violations.
In the ruling related to the 12 protesters, the court said that DPD and other assisting departments “indiscriminately and unjustifiably used force against those who were peacefully protesting.” The appeals court also agreed with the lower court’s ruling that DPD didn’t adequately train its officers.
Evidence showed that police used less-lethal munitions like pepper balls, tear gas, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds “often without adequate warning, on groups that were protesting peacefully,” the court said in the ruling.
The court document details various injuries the protesters in the suit sustained, including one who was shot in the head with a bean bag round that fractured his skull, broke his neck and left him unconscious, according to the ruling.
According to the ruling, DPD gave the weapons to officers who weren’t trained to use them and did not keep track of their use. The department also did not require officers to turn on body cams or report use-of-force incidents, as they would typically need to.
A jury previously found Denver liable after a three-week trial. Denver had argued in its appeal that the court hadn’t properly instructed jurors on certain legal proceedings and erred in allowing testimony from a former independent monitor. The court disagreed.
Denver has also contended its officers were properly trained and that “officers had acted reasonably in response to the unprecedented circumstances they encountered during the protests,” the court's ruling said.
The court also on Tuesday upheld a related decision that DPD officer Jonathan Christian violated former State Rep. Elisabeth Epps’ constitutional rights when he shot her with pepper balls during the protests, but reduced damages from $250,000 to $50,000.
The Denver Police Department declined to comment on the rulings. The department has previously detailed changes it made after the protests and a review from the office of the independent monitor, including requiring officers to wear body cams during protests and improvements to how use of force is tracked during protests.
The ACLU of Colorado’s legal director applauded the court’s decisions.
“This outcome is monumental and should be a lesson to law enforcement across the country. No police officer or municipality can escape accountability for their violence against people exercising their sacred right to peacefully protest,” Tim Macdonald, ACLU of Colorado legal director, said in a statement.
“Our brave plaintiffs have endured enormous hardship for standing up in defense of Black lives and police accountability,” he added. “This ruling is one step closer to justice for them, their loved ones, and all Coloradans concerned about police violence.”
The city attorney's office had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.
As of June 2025, Denver had paid out more than $18 million in settlements related to 2020 protests, Denver7 previously reported.
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