HOUSTON , Nov. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal jury in the Southern District of Texas has delivered a sweeping $13 million verdict in favor of the family of Charles Payne Sr., finding the City of Houston liable for Payne's death after a Houston Police Department officer—driving at high speed and not responding to an emergency—struck and killed him. The jury found that the City's unconstitutional policies, customs, and failures in training and supervision were the direct cause of the fatal incident. The jury also determined that the officer's conduct violated Payne's Fourteenth Amendment right to life.

Evidence presented at trial revealed that HPD routinely permitted officers to drive more than 20 mph over posted speed limits even when not responding to emergencies, a practice the Ci

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