KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Officials in Kenosha, Wisconsin, have denied a claim for damages from Jacob Blake Jr. The man was paralyzed when he was shot by a white police officer last summer.
Blake sought damages for medical expenses, lost wages and “pain and suffering and disfigurement.” The claim was capped at $50,000 under state law.
But Blake’s lawyers submitted an itemization of “special damages” in the amount of nearly $777,000. The Kenosha City Council voted 17-0 to reject Blake’s request. The Kenosha News reports that there was no deliberation. The city administrator says the filing of the claim was a formality that could allow Blake to sue for the damages.
