system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: When suing a public entity, "undisclosed settlements" should not be allowed.

Was reading about the shooting of Charles Kinsey. I had heard of the case before, but after a reply in a comment chain I had replied to I decided to read about it again.

Long story short: an autistic patient had run away from his group home. While cops were searching for a suicidal armed man, they came across the pair. While Kinsey was begging for his client's life, a cop shot Kinsey in the leg while his arms were raised. Luckily, he survived. Latee the cop replied "I don't know" when asked why he shot. I'll leave that there for you to research since it's not the point of the post.

The shooting was bad enough, but ~three years after the shooting a settlement was announced between the city of North Miami and Mr. Kinsey, the results of which are "undisclosed".

Why is it that authorities can settle and pay out a lawsuit with taxpayer money whilst not disclosing to the taxpayer what the bill is? I understand keeping some funding/budget issues a secret in, say, issues of national security. This almost *certainly* isn't that. 

My view is that this should not be allowed. Taxpayers should be entitled, for the most part, to see where their tax dollars are being spent.
gpt
It seems that the general public would, in theory, benefit from this knowledge (albeit it's not as though they would be able to vote directly on it or do anything about budgeting), but this could hurt the victim.

Confidentiality tends to encourage faster and higher settlements for victims, and can keep their trauma out of the spotlight, potentially allowing them to heal more quickly. Additionally, it allows for the anonymity of those victims who choose not to be identified. 

In weighing the benefits for the public versus victim, it seems more important to give the option to the victim. While the public could technically call lawmakers or protest etc. if they don't like the amount of one particular settlement, at the end of the day the mere knowledge isn't really doing much whereas saving the victim from having to come out publicly, endure a trial during which they relive scarring events, and face lower amounts of payment for the pain they've endured seems to offset the public benefits.