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A federal judge on Tuesday approved the secret settlement of a wrongful death civil lawsuit filed by the family of Michael Brown against the City of Ferguson, Missouri, and former officer Darren Wilson, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Wilson shot and killed the unarmed 18-year-old Brown during an altercation in 2014, sparking global protests against the use of excessive force by police against people of color.

U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber approved the settlement for an undisclosed amount that was deemed “fair and reasonable” compensation in the wrongful death suit filed by Lezley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr. Webber ordered the agreement sealed under Missouri’s “Sunshine Law,” saying that the agreement could put the safety of Brown’s family in jeopardy, writes the Post-Dispatch. But Post-Dispatch reported on Monday that the settlement would be less than $3 million.

McSpadden and Brown Sr.’s suit, which was also filed against former Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson, said a culture of “pervasive hostility” toward Blacks on the mostly White police force led to the death of their son in the predominantly Black suburb of St. Louis on Aug. 9, 2014. The lawsuit accuses Wilson of using excessive force, a claim that was denied by the city of Ferguson, Jackson and Wilson.

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A St. Louis County grand jury and the Department of Justice declined to bring charges against the former police officer, who resigned in November 2014. A DOJ probe after the shooting found a pattern and practice by officers to disproportionately target African-American residents.

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Michael Brown Family Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit  was originally published on newsone.com