A lawsuit claimed that Fresno, California police consistently ignored women's claims of domestic violence and threats, leading to the death of one woman and the paralysis of another at the hands of an abusive former partner. This week, an attorney for the women's families announced that the city has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle the lawsuit, ending a nearly nine-year legal battle.
The lawsuit claimed that several Fresno police officers responded callously and inadequately to women's reports of abuse and threats by ex-partners, and failed to arrest the men who attacked them despite ample cause to do so. As a result of the officers' inaction, one of the women, Pamela Motley, was paralyzed, and another, Cindy Raygoza, was killed when their former partners assaulted them.
