The City of Burlington is poised to settle a civil rights lawsuit with a Black man who was injured by a city cop more than four years ago.

Burlington city councilors unanimously approved a preliminary settlement with Jérémie Meli at a special meeting on Tuesday. Councilor Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5) was absent.

The city is keeping details of the settlement confidential until it's accepted by the court. It's unclear when that will happen.



If finalized, the agreement would resolve a case that launched a racial justice movement in Burlington that has defined political discourse for the last several years.
Meli was outside a downtown bar in September 2018 when former Burlington police sergeant Jason Bellavance responded to a call about a fight. The officer shoved Meli, a Congolese immigrant, against a wall and knocked him unconscious. Meli and two of his brothers, who were present at the incident, sued in spring 2019, though a judge later dismissed claims from Meli's siblings. It's unclear if the brothers were included in the settlement.

Bellavance remained on the force despite calls for him to resign. Activists re-upped their demands after George Floyd's May 2020 murder by Minneapolis police, staging a monthlong occupation of Battery Park next to Burlington police headquarters. The council eventually approved a $300,000 buyout for Bellavance to leave the department.

Meantime, the city sought to dismiss Meli's lawsuit on the grounds that Bellavance was protected by qualified immunity. The judicial doctrine shields public officials from liability for violating people's constitutional rights unless previous cases have “clearly established” their conduct was a violation.
In February 2022, however, a U.S. District Court judge allowed the case to proceed. "Taking an arrestee to the ground who is not violent, resisting, or posing a threat to officers or the public violates clearly established law," the judge wrote in a 60-page ruling.

Meli's attorney, Evan Chadwick, did not respond to an interview request on Tuesday afternoon.

A similar case filed alongside Meli's is still pending. Mabior Jok, who is also Black, accused Burlington Police Officer Joe Corrow of using excessive force by pulling him to the ground outside a Burlington bar, knocking him out. The incident happened the night before Meli's encounter with Bellavance.