Botham Jean Settlement: $100M Verdict and the 2026 Dallas Lawsuit

The Botham Jean settlement is a $98.65 million federal jury verdict handed down in November 2024 against former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger for the 2018 shooting death of Botham Jean inside his own apartment. It is not a settlement in the negotiated sense and not a payment from the City of Dallas; the judgment runs against Guyger personally. Because Dallas was dismissed from the underlying lawsuit and Guyger has no realistic ability to pay, the Jean family has so far collected nothing and is now suing the city in state court to force it to cover the award.

What the Jury Awarded

The civil trial ran three days in November 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Guyger waived her right to attend and had no legal representation. After roughly three hours of deliberation, a jury of six men and six women found that Guyger used excessive force and violated Jean’s Fourth Amendment rights, and returned a verdict well above the $54.4 million the family had sought.¹

The $98,650,000 total breaks down as follows:

$10.25 million to Jean’s estate for pain, loss of life, and lost earnings.
$14.2 million to his mother, Allison Jean, for past and future loss and mental anguish.
$14.2 million to his father, Bertrum Jean, for past and future loss and mental anguish.
$60 million in punitive damages against Guyger.²

Allison Jean said after the verdict, “It sends a signal to the world that his life mattered.” Bertrum Jean said he believed “justice was served.”²

Testimony that shaped the outcome included a crime scene reconstruction expert who said evidence from the scene and autopsy indicated Jean was likely getting up from his couch when he was shot and posed no threat to Guyger.² An initial responding officer testified he would have immediately handcuffed Guyger at the scene had she not been a fellow Dallas police officer.¹ Guyger and another officer both confirmed at trial that Dallas Police Department general orders classify officers as “always on the job,” which the jury relied on to find Guyger was acting in her professional capacity when she used deadly force.

Why the City of Dallas Isn’t on the Judgment

Jean’s parents originally sued both Guyger and the City of Dallas, alleging that the Dallas Police Department exhibited a pattern of excessive force and failed to adequately train its officers.³ U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn dismissed Dallas from the suit, ruling the plaintiffs had not sufficiently shown the city or its police department should be held liable.

Under federal civil rights law, a municipality can be held responsible for an officer’s conduct only if a plaintiff proves the harm resulted from an official policy or practice, such as a failure to train or a pattern of tolerating misconduct.⁴ The family appealed the dismissal, but the wrongful death claims against Guyger moved forward on their own.³ That dismissal is why the eventual nine-figure verdict landed on Guyger alone.

Why the Family Hasn’t Been Paid

In most high-profile police-violence cases, a city or county pays because it was a defendant. Here, the entire judgment rests on a former officer who is serving a prison sentence and, by all indications, lacks the assets to satisfy it. As the New York Times reported, the family “may never see a penny” without the city stepping in.⁴

Guyger is being held at a state prison in Gatesville, Texas.⁵ A $98.65 million judgment against someone in that position is enforceable on paper but, in practice, uncollectable unless a third party with real money is on the hook.

The 2026 Lawsuit to Force Dallas to Pay

In March 2026, the Jean family filed a new lawsuit in Dallas County District Court seeking a declaratory judgment that the City of Dallas is legally required to pay the verdict under its own employee liability plan. The suit argues that because DPD’s general orders define officers as always on duty, Guyger was acting as a city employee when she killed Jean, and the city therefore has an obligation to indemnify her for the resulting liability.⁶

The family also contends that the city’s staffing practices contributed to the conditions that led to the shooting, pointing to the excessive overtime that left Guyger fatigued after a nearly 14-hour shift. In the four days before the shooting she had worked more than 44 hours, including a day with the department’s SWAT team.⁶⁷

The City of Dallas has said it does not comment on pending litigation. A hearing in the case is scheduled for May 14, 2026.⁶ The outcome will determine whether the $98.65 million verdict translates into actual payment or stays a number on a judgment the family cannot collect.

The Underlying Case in Brief

Botham Jean was a 26-year-old accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and a graduate of Harding University, originally from St. Lucia. On the evening of September 6, 2018, Guyger had just finished a nearly 14-hour shift. She parked on the wrong floor of her apartment complex, the South Side Flats in Dallas, and walked to what she believed was her own unit but was actually Jean’s apartment, one floor below hers.⁸ The door was unlocked. Guyger entered, told investigators she believed Jean was a burglar, and fired twice, striking him in the chest. Prosecutors later said Jean had been sitting on his couch watching television and eating a bowl of ice cream. The two did not know each other.⁹

A Dallas jury convicted Guyger of murder in October 2019 and sentenced her to ten years in prison. The Texas Fifth Court of Appeals upheld the conviction and sentence in 2021, and in March 2022 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused to hear her further appeal.¹⁰ The criminal conviction is final. The civil money question is the one still open.

1
Fox 4 News. Amber Guyger Botham Jean Civil Trial Verdict
2
KERA News. Dallas Jury Verdict in Botham Jean Family Wrongful Death Lawsuit
3
Courthouse News. City of Dallas Dismissed From Botham Jean Wrongful Death Civil Suit
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New York Times. Botham Jean Settlement Compensation
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Fox 4 News. Amber Guyger Botham Jean Parole Denied
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CBS News. Botham Jean Family Dallas Civil Lawsuit Payout Amber Guyger
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CPA Practice Advisor. Botham Jean’s Family Sues in Effort to Force Dallas to Pay Jury Award
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ABC News. Death of an Innocent Man: Timeline of Wrong-Apartment Murder Trial
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NBC News. Amber Guyger Found Guilty of Murder in Fatal Shooting of Neighbor Botham Jean
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Amber Guyger Appeal Denied by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals