Marlene Pinnock, the 51-year-old African-American woman whose freeway beating at the hands of a California Highway Patrol officer was caught on video, may impact the future of police accountability. Along with a $1.5 million settlement Pinnock’s attorney Caree Harper won for her client, the officer, Daniel Andrew, agreed to resign "voluntarily for personal reasons," the Los Angeles Times reported. That may prove to be a turning point in future police brutality cases. 

Los Angeles Times reporters Kate Mather and Richard Winton wrote:

Experts said the move could have broader repercussions. Officers have significant employment rights and union representation, and an officer’s job is usually not up for negotiation in civil rights lawsuits, said Glen Jonas, an attorney who last year secured a $4.2-million settlement for two women shot at by LAPD officers during the manhunt for ex-Officer Christopher Dorner.

"It sets a new bar for us," Jonas said. "It’s usually not open to discussion…. When the public is behind you, it changes the dynamics."

And, says Harper, she’s not done seeking justice for her client. "We want him in prison," Harper said of Officer Andrew, the Los Angeles Times reported. "I’m not done."