Seattle To Pay $29 Million To Family Of Student Jaahnavi Kandula Killed By Speeding Officer

India-West News Desk

SEATTLE, WA – The city of Seattle has agreed to pay $29 million to settle a wrongful death claim brought by the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, the 23 year old graduate student from India who was killed by a speeding police officer in 2023.

“Jaahnavi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,” City Attorney Erika Evans said in a statement February 11. “Jaahnavi Kandula’s life mattered. It mattered to her family, her friends and to our community.”

Roughly $20 million of the settlement is expected to be covered by the city’s insurance.

Kandula was pursuing a master’s degree in information systems at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus, located in the tech focused South Lake Union neighborhood. On January 23, 2023, she was struck and killed at Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street.

Officer Kevin Dave was driving 74 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone while responding to a drug overdose call. Authorities said he had his emergency lights activated and was using his siren at intersections when the collision occurred.

The incident drew widespread anger and protests, fueled in part by body camera footage from another officer that surfaced later. The recording captured Officer Daniel Auderer, then vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, laughing and suggesting Kandula’s life had “limited value” and that the city should “just write a check.”

Auderer was later fired. He has since filed a lawsuit against the city alleging wrongful termination, saying his remarks were meant to criticize how attorneys were likely to respond to the fatal crash.

Officer Dave, who was driving the patrol vehicle, was also terminated. He was cited for negligent driving and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. King County prosecutors declined to pursue felony charges, stating they could not prove he acted with deliberate disregard for safety when he struck Kandula.