A federal judge on Tuesday accepted a $1.9 million settlement agreement between the family of Sandra Bland, who was found dead in her jail cell days after she was arrested for a minor traffic infraction, and Waller County officials and the state trooper who arrested her.
As part of the settlement, Waller county officials agreed to make improvements to how inmates are booked and supervised at the jail and other facilities lacking immediate access to medical services, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Bland's death became a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement during a period when violent encounters between law enforcement and African-Americans had sparked a national conversation.
Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, sued Waller County officials and law enforcement for negligence in Bland's death shortly after she died.
The settlement was first announced in September. Bland family attorney Cannon Lambert told KTRK-TV that the Department of Public Safety will pay $100,000, an amount capped by state law, and the Waller County Jail will pay the remaining amount.
After the announcement of the settlement, Waller County's attorney Larry Simmons issued a statement reported by the Chronicle that said the settlement doesn't include any admission of fault or wrongdoing.
The trooper who arrested Bland, Brian Encinia, was fired this year after he was indicted on a perjury charge for making a false statement about why he removed Bland from her car during the traffic stop.
Encinia's attorney has said he will plead not guilty.
Encinia initially pulled Bland over for failing to signal a lane change. He said in his arrest report that "he pulled (Bland) out to further investigate the traffic stop." After he pulled Bland out of her car, they engaged in a brief scuffle and then Encinia arrested Bland.
Bland was taken to the Waller County Jail, where she was found dead three days later. Local authorities ruled Bland's death a suicide.
Rafael Zuniga, a former guard at the Waller County Jail, told Lambert under oath that he falsified entries on a jail log, making it appear as though he had checked on Bland within the hour she was allegedly found hanged with a noose made from a plastic bag.
Bland said at booking that she previously tried to commit suicide, according to jail records. By jail standards, she should have been checked on every 30 minutes. State guidelines require all inmates be checked on hourly.
