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A federal jury on Monday awarded $3.25 million to the mother of a man 

Kim Handy Jones, the mother of Cordale Handy, opted for a 

 in her civil suit after a judge sharply reduced the initial verdict.

A jury in 2023 awarded Handy Jones $1.5 million in punitive damages plus $10 million in compensatory damages after finding St. Paul Police Officer Nathaniel Younce civilly liable for killing Cordale Handy in 2017. The same jury found a second officer, Mikko Norman, not liable for Handy’s death. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi later determined that both men were 

 in using deadly force and would not face criminal charges.

In February, Judge David Doty cut the $10 million portion of the award to $2.5 million. Doty 

 that while Handy was a loving and engaged member of his family who cared for his mother and siblings, he did not financially support them, and plaintiff’s attorneys provided “meager evidence” of "quantifiable monetary loss."

But after a second trial on compensatory damages before Judge John Tunheim, a new jury awarded Handy Jones $3.25 million. The jury in the second trial did not revisit issues of liability or the $1.5 million in punitive damages.

Paul Bosman, one of Handy Jones’ attorneys, said that his client may continue to pursue legal action, including appealing Doty’s decision to reduce the $10 million verdict.

“I wouldn’t say she’s overjoyed, but she’s not sad,” Bosman said in a phone interview with MPR News on Thursday. “She’s made it very clear all along that it’s not about the money for her. It’s about justice. It’s about an accounting for what happened to her son.”  

Officers shot Handy, 29, after he allegedly pointed a gun at them after he fired 16 shots inside his apartment. An autopsy found N-Ethylpentylone in his system. The drug, commonly known as “bath salts” can result in erratic behavior.

The incident happened just before the St. Paul Police Department began using body cameras. Handy Jones argues in her lawsuit that the officers shouted conflicting commands.

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A federal jury on Monday awarded $3.25 million to the mother of a man killed by St. Paul police in 2017. Kim Handy Jones, the mother of Cordale Handy, opted for a second trial in her civil suit after a judge sharply reduced the initial verdict.

After second trial, jury awards $3.25 million to family of man killed by St. Paul police

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