NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Seattle, WA, February 12, 2026: The City of Seattle has agreed to pay approximately $29 million to the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student from India who was struck and killed by a Seattle police officer in January 2023 while walking in a marked crosswalk.
Kandula was pursuing a master’s degree in information systems at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus when she was hit by a patrol vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave, who was responding to an emergency call. Court filings and investigative reports show Dave was driving at about 74 mph in a 25 mph zone at the time of the collision.
The fatal crash prompted widespread public concern, particularly after body-camera footage from another officer on the scene surfaced later. In the recording, Officer Daniel Auderer was heard making dismissive and insensitive remarks about Kandula’s death, remarks that drew national and international criticism. That officer was subsequently fired.
In a wrongful-death suit filed in 2024, Kandula’s parents sought more than $110 million in damages from the city and the former officer, citing negligence and emotional suffering. The settlement announced this week resolves that lawsuit without a trial.
City Attorney Erika Evans said in a statement that the city hopes the financial agreement will bring “some sense of closure” to Kandula’s family, acknowledging that her loss “has left unimaginable pain.” She added, “Jaahnavi Kandula’s life mattered. It mattered to her family, to her friends, and to our community.”
Under the terms of the agreement, roughly $20 million of the payout is expected to be covered by city insurance, with the remainder funded by the city.
The settlement marks one of the largest compensations of its kind in Seattle and closes a chapter on a case that drew sustained attention from communities both in the United States and abroad.
