Why San Diego decided to settle the Konoa Wilson case for $30 million

Before the San Diego City Council agreed this month to pay $30 million to settle the lawsuit over the police shooting of 16-year-old Konoa Wilson, an attorney for the boy’s family delivered a blunt message to the city: If the case went to trial, the verdict could surpass $100 million.

The mediation brief filed earlier this year by plaintiffs’ attorney Nicholas Rowley helps explain why the case moved so quickly — settling just seven months after it was filed. It also explains why city officials ultimately agreed to what may be the largest settlement ever paid in a police-shooting case, surpassing the $27 million Minneapolis paid to George Floyd’s family in 2021.

Mediation briefs are a common step in personal injury and wrongful death cases, though they are usually kept confidential until a case is resolved.

In the brief, Rowley pointed to his history of securing large jury awards but also spelled out how recent changes in California law might affect how the case would play out in court.

He argued that those changes, combined with the evidence in the case, left the city facing a potential jury verdict that would far exceed any settlement amount.