The Family of George Floyd Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Minneapolis Police

The death of George Floyd has had an undeniable ripple effect across the world. It’s been almost two months since the horrific video of his death hit the internet and people are still on the streets, protesting in his name. While the officers involved in Floyd’s death have all been arrested and are currently facing charges, a civil suit has been filed by Floyd’s family against the city for his death.

According to NBC News, the civil suit, filed by Benjamin Crump, one of the attorneys for the Floyd family, alleges that the officers used “unjustified, excessive, and illegal, and deadly use of force.” Crump has said that the suit is intended to continue the “important conversation” on the “pandemic of police brutality.” The 40-page document contains a list of multiple violent arrests that have occurred in Minneapolis over the years and argues that city officials have allowed police misconduct to go unabated for too long.

“It was the knee of the entire Minneapolis Police Department on the neck of George Floyd that killed him,” Crump told reporters. “The city of Minneapolis has a history of policies and procedures and deliberate indifference when it comes to the treatment of arrestees, especially Black men, that cries out for training and discipline.” While the suit doesn’t list the amount of money the plaintiffs are seeking, Crump has said that the amount should be large enough to make it “financially prohibitive” for police to “kill marginalized people and Black people in the future in America.”

From NBC News:

“George Floyd’s death is a tragedy,” City Attorney Erik Nilsson said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon, following the lawsuit’s filing.

“The city is reviewing the civil lawsuit filed by his family and will be responding to it. Criminal charges are pending against four Minneapolis police officers and it’s very important that the criminal case proceed without interference.”

Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s lawyer, and Thomas Plunkett, an attorney for Kueng, declined comment on the lawsuit. Emails and phone messages seeking comment from Thao and Lane were not immediately returned on Wednesday.

On May 25, former Minneapolis police officers Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng responded to a call about Floyd allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill. The arrest resulted in Floyd being handcuffed, taken to the ground and ended with Chauvin placing his knee on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes, resulting in his death. All four men were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department. On June 3, all four men were arrested with Chauvin being charged with second-degree murder and the other officers receiving charges of aiding and abetting murder.