Seattle to pay ₹246 Cr to family of Andhra student Jaahnavi Kandula mowed down by US cop

Hyderabad: Three years after Andhra Pradesh student Jaahnavi Kandula was mowed down by a speeding US cop, the Seattle City Attorney's Office has reached a ₹246 crore (approximately $29 million) settlement with her family, seemingly bringing closure to a profound tragedy.

On January 23, 2023, the 23-year-old engineering student from Andhra Pradesh was mowed down by a speeding vehicle driven by a police officer when she was negotiating a pedestrian crossing in Seattle's South Lake Union neighbourhood. She was pursuing a master's degree in information systems at Northeastern University when the incident occurred.

The Seattle City Attorney's Office reached a settlement with the family after they filed a lawsuit. The parties filed a "notice of settlement" in King County Superior Court, which means they agreed to settle out of court rather than going to trial.

The settlement, finalised last week, represents one of the largest compensations paid in such cases in the United States and comes after Kandula's parents, Vijaya Laksmi Gundapuneedi and Sreekanth Kandula, filed a ₹933 crore ($110 million) lawsuit against the city of Seattle and the officer responsible.

Student's dreams cut short by reckless driving

On that fateful January evening, Kandula was crossing Dexter Avenue at Thomas Street when Seattle Police Department officer Kevin Dave struck her whilst driving at 119 kilometres per hour in a zone with a 40 kmph speed limit. Dave was responding to a drug overdose call with his emergency lights activated.

According to court documents, Kandula "experienced terror, severe emotional distress, and severe pain and suffering before dying," details that have haunted her family and the Telugu community in Seattle and back home.

"Jaahnavi Kandula's death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family," Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans said. "We also recognise that her loss has left unimaginable pain. Jaahnavi Kandula's life mattered. It mattered to her family, to her friends, and to our community."

`Limited value': remarks that sparked fury

What transformed this tragic accident into an international incident were the callous remarks made by another Seattle police officer, Daniel Auderer, who had been called to investigate the scene.

Body camera footage revealed Auderer, then vice chairman of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, laughing and joking about Kandula's death with another union official. In the recording, he can be heard saying: "Just write a cheque. $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value."

The comments sparked outrage not only within the Telugu diaspora in the United States but also across India. Protests were held in Seattle, and Indian diplomats formally sought an investigation into both the incident and the officer's remarks.

The Kandula family's lawsuit pointedly included an additional ₹9.33 lakh ($11,000) in their claim, the exact amount Auderer had mockingly suggested—as a symbol of the dignity and value of their daughter's life.

Auderer was fired by Seattle's interim police chief in July 2024. He has since filed his own ₹169 crore ($20 million) lawsuit against the city for wrongful termination, claiming his remarks were meant to criticise how lawyers typically respond to such cases. That claim remains pending in King County courts.

Officer's employment raised serious questions

The lawsuit brought to light disturbing details about Officer Kevin Dave's history that raised questions about the Seattle Police Department's hiring practices.

Dave had previously been fired by the Tucson Police Department in Arizona in 2013 following multiple investigations, including one involving a "preventable collision." Despite this record—which an SPD sergeant had flagged as a "checkered history"—Seattle police hired Dave in 2019.

More troublingly, Dave did not possess a valid Washington driver's licence at the time he struck Kandula. He had also been involved in another preventable collision during his time with Seattle police.

"He should have never been hired," said Vonda Sargent, an attorney representing the Kandula family. "You can't take just all comers. Everyone is not suited or fit to be a law enforcement officer."

Following an investigation by the Office of Police Accountability, which found Dave failed to drive "with due regard for the safety of all persons," he was fired in January 2025. King County prosecutors declined to file felony charges, citing inability to prove deliberate disregard for safety. Dave was instead issued a negligent driving citation with an ₹4.24 lakh ($5,000) fine.

Community impact and reforms

The tragedy deeply affected the Telugu community in Seattle, which rallied around the Kandula family and organised vigils and protests demanding justice. The case became a rallying point for discussions about the safety and treatment of international students in the United States.

In response to sustained community pressure, the Seattle Police Department introduced new emergency driving policies in November 2024, directing officers to "drive no faster than their skill and training allows and [what] is reasonably necessary to safely arrive at the scene."

Of the ₹246 crore settlement, approximately ₹170 crore ($20 million) will be covered by the city's insurance, with Seattle paying the remainder from its own funds.