Two North Georgia counties reached a settlement with a family affected by a 2014 Cornelia drug raid that left a toddler with severe burns.
Bounkham “Bou Bou” Phonesavanh, 4, and his family will receive $1.65 million from insurance policies that cover Rabun and Stephens counties. The family previously reached a $964,000 settlement with Habersham County and a $1 million agreement with the city of Cornelia.
In May 2014, drug task force agents in the Mountain Judicial Circuit raided a Cornelia home hours after a drug buy at the home. A flash-bang grenade landed near the crib holding then 18-month-old Bou Bou, who suffered severe facial burns.
The Phonesavanhs’ attorney, Steven Wisebram, said more than $522,000 of the $1.65 million would be in a structured settlement for the family. Another $419,000 would become a trust fund for Bou Bou, with $50,000 for Bou Bou’s parents.
Bou Bou has siblings of ages 6, 9 and 11.
Wisebram worked with attorney Richard Hendrix.
The parties reached a settlement last week, and U.S. District Court Judge Richard Story approved the deal Friday morning.
A Habersham County grand jury did not charge any officer involved with the raid with any wrongdoing. Nikki Autry, a former deputy, was found not guilty in December on charges of violating the family’s Fourth Amendment rights.