Kenneth Walker case settled

What started as a $100 million lawsuit filed by the family of the late Kenneth Walker more than four years ago ended Tuesday as a $450,000 settlement.

Columbus Council voted to offer $200,000 to the Walker family in return for dropping the federal lawsuit against Muscogee County Sheriff Ralph Johnson.

There also is $250,000 in private money involved in the deal, the Ledger-Enquirer learned from sources familiar with the agreement. The private contributors and the amount were not specified by Mayor Jim Wetherington or former Mayor Frank Martin, who represented the individual donors.

Deputy Sheriff David Glisson fatally shot Walker on Dec. 10, 2003, after the SUV in which Walker was riding was pulled over on Interstate 185 as part of a drug investigation. Although cocaine was discovered in Walker's body during an autopsy, no drugs or firearms were found in the vehicle or on Walker or the SUV's other occupants.

Walker was black. Glisson, who was fired by the sheriff's department Feb. 19, 2004, is white.

"I wish I could say I was happy and overjoyed," she said. "It is a feeling of relief. After 4 1/2 years, it's a relief to have it finally over with."

Wetherington said this is the final chapter in a long, difficult ordeal for the Walker family, the city and its citizens.

"The settlement results in a final dismissal for all parties involved in the lawsuit and any related proceedings," Wetherington said in a prepared statement.

The city funds will go into a trust for Walker's daughter, Kayla, who is 8 years old and an "A" student.

Private money

The critical part of the deal was the $250,000 in private money.

"Joining in the settlement is a group of local civic-minded anonymous donors who have contributed significantly to the settlement agreement in an amount above the city's $200,000," Wetherington said.

Martin declined to disclose the amount or the names of the people who contributed. He said he did not charge the donors for his legal assistance.

"The Martin Firm will handle those funds, and they will not be mixed with the city money," Martin said.

Martin said all of the city's money would be directed toward Walker's daughter.

"Separate and apart from the city money, the money from the private donors is not restricted," Martin said. "That is for Mrs. Walker and her attorneys to deal with."

Martin, Johnson and Atlanta attorney Karen E. Woodward, who represented Cheryl Walker, attended a 20-minute closed council session before the settlement was announced.

The court ordered mediation of the lawsuit. An April 23 mediation session failed to produce a settlement. That is when Wetherington asked Martin and his son and law partner, John Martin, to get involved.

Wetherington also hopes the healing can begin. He credited The Martin Firm with helping to find a resolution.

"I felt strongly that we as a community could not afford to let this issue drag on," Wetherington said. "The Martins were not only successful in raising additional funds from private sources but worked at no charge to the city for many, many hours over several months with everyone involved, particularly with the attorneys for the Walker family."

Frank Martin was mayor in the early 1990s and spearheaded a 1 percent sales tax for the city's public infrastructure. He said his role in the Walker settlement humbled him.

"Speaking just for me, but I am probably as happy about this as anything I have ever been involved in," he said. "This problem has kept us from having racial harmony in this city. I want to believe the city can now go forward."

Wetherington is a former police chief and has been mayor for less than two years. He said the settlement was past due.