The city of Seattle has agreed to pay $29 million to the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student from India who was struck and killed by a speeding police vehicle in 2023.
Kandula was crossing a street in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood when the officer’s patrol car hit her. The settlement, one of the largest of its kind in the city’s history, resolves a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her family and brings a measure of closure to a case that drew national and international attention.
“Jaahnavi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,” as per city attorney Erika Evans.
Evans added, “Jaahnavi Kandula’s life mattered. It mattered to her family, her friends and to our community.”
What was the incident?
Kandula was originally from Indian state Andhra Pradesh and was pursuing a master’s degree at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus in South Lake Union. She had moved to the United States from Bengaluru in 2021 through a student exchange program and was on track to graduate this December. ‘
Investigators said she was hit by Officer Kevin Dave, who was responding to a drug overdose call. Authorities later revealed that he was driving at speeds of up to 74 miles per hour in a zone with a posted limit of 25 miles per hour at the time of the crash.
Her death sparked widespread outrage in Seattle and beyond in 2023, with community members and student groups demanding accountability.
The anger intensified after body camera footage from another officer became public. In the recording, the officer can be heard laughing and saying Kandula’s life had “limited value,” adding that the city should “just write a check.”
Auderer is also heard recounting the crash while laughing in the recording,. “Uh, I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, and then when he hit the brakes, flew off the car… But she is dead,” he said. The laughter that followed, lasting several seconds, triggered a wave of public anger and drew criticism from within the department itself.
The remarks drew sharp condemnation and deepened calls for reforms within the police department.
Seattle’s interim police chief at the time, Sue Rahr, addressed the controversy in an internal email to staff. She described the damage caused by Auderer’s comments as “irreparable” and said his actions had brought shame to the police force.
READ: Indian American couple killed in California as fatal crashes continue into 2026 (January 5, 2026)
Seattle’s civilian police oversight agency later concluded that the comments made by Officer Daniel Auderer, who at the time served as a police union leader, damaged the department’s credibility and eroded public trust.
Auderer was fired and has since filed a lawsuit against the city alleging wrongful termination. He has argued that his remarks were taken out of context and were intended to mock how attorneys might frame the city’s liability.
Officer Kevin Dave, who was behind the wheel, was also separated from the department. He was cited for negligent driving and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. King County prosecutors declined to pursue felony charges, saying they could not establish that he acted with criminal intent or consciously disregarded safety when the collision occurred.
Roughly $20 million of the $29 million settlement is expected to be covered by the city’s insurance, with the remainder paid by Seattle.
While Northeastern University honored Kandula’s memory by awarding her a posthumous master’s degree. The university said the recognition reflected both her academic accomplishments and the impact she had on classmates and the broader campus community.