The City of Seattle has agreed to pay $29 million to the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student from India who was fatally struck by a police vehicle in January 2023. The settlement, finalized last week in King County Superior Court, follows months of public anger and scrutiny over both the crash and the police department’s response.

According to reporting by MyNorthwest, Kandula was crossing a street when Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave struck her while responding to a suspected overdose call. Investigators determined he was traveling at up to 74 mph in a 25‑mph zone. Though Dave had his emergency lights on and sounded his siren at intersections, the speed was later deemed unsafe. He was cited for negligent driving and fined $5,000, but prosecutors said they lacked sufficient evidence to pursue felony charges. The city later fired Dave.

The incident received international attention after a body‑camera video surfaced showing Officer Daniel Auderer, at the time a police union vice president, laughing and saying Kandula’s life had “limited value.” The comments, condemned by community members and Indian diplomats, were found by the city’s civilian oversight office to have damaged public trust. Auderer was dismissed from the department in 2024 and has since sued Seattle for wrongful termination, claiming his words were taken out of context.

Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans said in a public statement that the settlement reflects the city’s acknowledgment of the loss suffered by Kandula’s family and its desire to close a painful chapter. “Jaahnavi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,” Evans said.

Kandula had been pursuing a master’s degree in information systems at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus. The city expects approximately $20 million of the settlement to be covered through municipal liability insurance.

Why this matters: The resolution comes amid ongoing debate over emergency response driving policies and police accountability across Washington. The Kandula case has influenced conversations in cities such as Longview and Kelso, where local law enforcement agencies have reviewed pursuit standards and high‑speed response protocols following public concern about officer safety conduct. The settlement underscores a growing expectation that municipalities accept both financial and ethical responsibility for preventable deaths involving public employees.