Eric Garner’s Widow to Stay in Public Housing Despite Wrongful Death Settlement

On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was killed after being put in a chokehold by an NYPD officer for over 10 seconds, during his arrest.

If you recall, Garner was confronted by New York City police officers after they suspected he’d been selling single cigarettes. But, when Garner, fed up with constantly being harassed by NYPD officials, told the officers he hadn’t been selling cigarettes, they moved in to arrest him. After some time, officer Daniel Pantaleo put Garner in a chokehold and brought him to the ground before smashing Garner’s face into the ground as he yelled, “I can’t breathe.” Shortly after, Garner lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Ultimately, a grand jury decided not to indict Pantaleo. However, Garner’s family chose to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and several officers, looking for $75 million in damages, reports state. One year later, a 5.9 million settlement was resolved out of court.

However, even after the massive settlement, it has recently been revealed that Garner’s widow will be staying in her public housing apartment. According to reports, the cash Esaw Snipes received in the settlement do not count as disqualifying income.

Sources say, the widow got a $500,000 payment, up-front, following the judges ruling. But, the rest is set to be distributed after the lawyers get their cut.

According to the NY Post, Snipes can keep her apartment in the Fulton Houses without having a rent increase. However, it is still unclear why she is still living in public housing, as neither Snipes nor her lawyer provided a comment.