Yellowstone County settles wrongful death lawsuit for $1.25 million

BILLINGS – A Montana county has agreed to pay $1.25 million to the family of a man who was shot to death by sheriff’s deputies.

Attorneys for 28-year-old Loren Simpson’s estate told the Billings Gazette on Monday that Yellowstone County and the family reached the settlement after a recent mediation session in Missoula.

The family sued after two deputies shot and killed Simpson near Huntley on Jan. 8, 2015, as he was driving toward them in a stolen SUV. Deputies say they felt threatened by the vehicle coming at them.

But a federal judge ruled in January they were unreasonable to believe that Simpson was accelerating toward them. She also noted that one of the deputies kept firing at the SUV after it had passed.

The county doesn’t admit any wrongdoing in the settlement.