A young woman who alleged she was sexually abused and exploited by members of the Oakland Police Department reached a settlement with the city government for almost $1 million, the city and the attorney for the woman said Wednesday.
The Oakland City Council voted to approve the $989,000 settlement Wednesday morning.
“I feel happy that I can close this chapter, and move on with my life. It’s taken a toll on me,” said the woman, who identified herself as Jasmine. CNN doesn’t normally identify the victims of sexual assault, but Jasmine has publicly requested to be referred to by her first name.
The scandal stems from an investigation into the suicide of an Oakland police officer with whom Jasmine says she was romantically involved when she was 17 years old. She claimed that officer later introduced her to other officers who became customers.
The investigation revealed allegations that she exchanged sex for favors and money, including when she was underage. Ultimately, four police chiefs resigned and 28 officers across five departments were alleged to have had sexual contact the young woman.
The Oakland City Council’s resolution on the settlement said the woman alleged “she was exploited by multiple Oakland police officers who ‘continued to traffic, rape, victimize and exploit’ her.”
“This has been a very, very difficult experience for a person her age having to deal with being abused and taken advantage of by a number of police officers,” her attorney, John Burris, said. “And although we know from the facts that more officers than Oakland was involved, certainly Oakland and their officers were pretty intensely and aggressively involved.”
The City of Oakland did not admit liability in the settlement.
Criminal charges have been filed against a number of Oakland officers.
Burris said litigation is possible against law enforcement agencies in Richmond, Contra Costa County, Alameda County, San Francisco and Livermore.
