A fired Seattle police officer is suing the city for wrongful termination and damages after he was terminated for bodycam video showing what appears to be him joking and laughing after a woman was struck and killed by a patrol car.

Former Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer filed a $20 million tort complaint against the city of Seattle for damages weeks after he was fired for his behavior following the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old Northeastern University student.

Auderer claims harm to his personal reputation, wrongful termination and mental pain and suffering. He is also claiming lost wages of $200,000 per year.

SEATTLE POLICE PATROL VEHICLE FATALLY STRIKES 23-YEAR-OLD WOMAN

Following his comments and recent firing after an investigation, Auderer maintained that his comments were taken out of context.

In the complaint, Auderer said in part, “Seattle PD leaked false information concerning wrongfully initiated disciplinary proceedings as well as my personal information.”

SEATTLE COP HEARD LAUGHING AFTER WOMAN KILLED IN CRASH CLAIMS INCIDENT WAS TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT: REPORT

He also argued that he was wrongfully terminated because of his leadership role in the Seattle Police Officers Guild.

“SPD then wrongfully terminated me. This was retaliatory, at least due to my union leadership.”

In a statement to FOX 13, Seattle interim police Chief Sue Rahr defended her decision to terminate Auderer.

“At the root of this case lies an extremely difficult judgment call of how to fairly balance ‘intent versus impact,’” Rahr said. “The actions [of] this individual police officer have brought shame on the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the job of every police officer more difficult.”

A Seattle police officer has been fired for making callous remarks about the death of a graduate student from India after she was struck by another officer’s vehicle in a crosswalk last year. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP, File)

The 23-year-old woman was killed after a Seattle police car driven by another officer hit her.

In the body camera footage, previously released by the Seattle Police Department, Auderer is heard referring to Kandula as “a regular person and saying to, “just write a check — $11,000, she was 26 anyway, she had limited value.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Seattle Police Department and the city of Seattle for comment.

The Seattle Mariners got excellent news on relief pitcher Matt Brash this week, who is out for the entire season because of internal brace surgery.

Per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Brash has been cleared to start a throwing program next week in Arizona. He is currently with the team in Seattle as part of its nine-game homestand.

Not having Brash has had a big impact on the Mariners bullpen this year, as it’s seemingly been held together with duct tape at times. One of the best relievers in all of baseball, the 26-year-old Canadian appeared in a league-high 78 games in 2023, going 9-4 with a 3.06 ERA. Armed with 100+ MPH velocity and a wipeout slider, he struck out 107 batters in just 70.2 innings last season.

Without him, the Mariners have relied even more on closer Andres Munoz, who made the All-Star team this season. Gregory Santos, who was supposed to pair with Munoz and Brash in the back-end of the bullpen this year, has also been hurt most of the campaign.

Though Brash was injured in spring training, he didn’t officially shut his season down and get surgery until early May. Because of that, he’ll likely be out into next season as well. For comparison, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen had internal brace surgery last July and is just coming back this week, about 13 months later. If the same holds true for Brash, the M’s could have him back by June of 2025.

NEW PODCAST IS OUT: The latest episode of the “Refuse to Lose” podcast is out as Brady Farkas talks about the series win over the Phillies and the possibility of giving Victor Robles a contract extension. Furthermore, we break down Jerry Dipoto’s comments on ‘The Wheelhouse’ and talk with Ty Dane Gonzalez of “Locked on Mariners” and our own Teren Kowatsch. CLICK HERE:

ORGANIZATIONAL DEPTH: The Mariners signed a lefty with tons of major league experience to a minor league deal on Tuesday, giving them more options in the organization. CLICK HERE:

TURNER OK: The preliminary updates on Justin Turner’s hand after last night’s scary hit-by-pitch are positive. CLICK HERE:

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on “X” @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the “Refuse to Lose” podcast by clicking HERE:

SEATTLE – Seattle City Councilmember Tanya Woo and challenger Alexis Mercedes Rinck lead early in early election results for the only open seat.

Back in January, the Seattle City Council appointed Tanya Woo to fill Position 8 after Teresa Mosqueda was elected to the King County Council. Woo ran for District 2 which represents South Seattle and the Chinatown International District. She took an early lead, but eventually lost to Tammy Morales.

Alexis Mercedes Rinck says she is running to fight for solutions that are community-informed and research-backed. She moved to Seattle to attend the Evans School at the University of Washington and started her career in public policy.

As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, here’s who is leading the race for City of Seattle Council Position No. 8:

• Tariq Yusuf – 4.03% (3,971)

• Alexis Mercedes Rinck – 46.60% (45,914)

• Tanya Woo 41.40% (40,790)

• Saunatina Sanchez – 4.39% (4,321)

• Saul Patu – 3.22% (3,173)

• Write-in – 0.36% (354)

Washington is a vote-by-mail state. Under the state’s primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election in November, regardless of party.

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