Louisiana state officials have reached a preliminary $4.8 million settlement agreement with Ronald Greene’s family, according to sources familiar with the deal. Greene, a Black driver, died following a brutal 2019 arrest involving five white Louisiana State Police officers.
The proposed settlement would resolve a federal wrongful death case brought by Greene’s relatives. His death became a national story after The Associated Press obtained video in 2021 that captured state troopers beating, striking and shocking Greene with stun guns near Monroe.
Sources with direct knowledge of the lawsuit told reporters the settlement requires Louisiana Legislature approval. These individuals were not permitted to speak publicly about the arrangement.
Louisiana State Police Captain Russell Graham declined to discuss settlement details, stating the agency cannot comment because the process “has not yet been finalized.”
Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors chose not to file criminal charges against the officers involved in Greene’s deadly arrest last year.
The details surrounding Greene’s traffic stop death remained hidden for two years following the incident. State police withheld arrest footage and initially stated that Greene, 49, died when his vehicle struck a tree during a high-speed pursuit.
Video footage later acquired by AP revealed officers had shocked the defenseless Greene with stun guns while he expressed remorse for the chase. Officers forced Greene to the pavement, applied a chokehold and struck him repeatedly. They pulled him face-first across the ground with his hands restrained and legs bound, then abandoned him without medical assistance.
Officers had originally attempted to stop Greene for an undisclosed traffic infraction.
During President Joe Biden’s final weeks in office in January 2025, the Justice Department determined Louisiana State Police had engaged in systematic excessive force during arrests and vehicle chases statewide. The DOJ under President Donald Trump later withdrew these conclusions.
The federal probe began in 2022 following AP reporting that revealed multiple instances of severe beatings by state troopers.
