Family of George Floyd announces civil lawsuit against Minneapolis, four officers

George Floyd memorial
Photo credit Mark Freie/Entercom

The family of George Floyd has filed a civil suit against the City of Minneapolis and the four former officers accused in his death.  The suit alleges a "reckless disregard" of Floyd's civil rights, and that the city continues to allow a racist culture in the police department with improper training.  Tony Romanucci, one of the attorneys representing the Floyd family, says that the city of Minneapolis' police training is what led to the death of George Floyd.

"The city of Minneapolis crossed that bridge. They crossed the bridge of unconstitutional training and they opened up the gates for those officers to do what they did to George Floyd."

MEDIA ALERT: @AttorneyCrump & @TonyRomanucci to announce a civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis & police officers, on behalf of the family of #GeorgeFloyd, during a press conference on Wed., July 15, at 11 am CST in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Diana Murphy U.S. Courthouse). pic.twitter.com/czdaCsEhQ6

— Ben Crump Law, PLLC (@BenCrumpLaw) July 14, 2020

Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer who is also representing the Floyd family, says that the city of Minneapolis has a history of violence against Black men. 

“This complaint shows what we have said all along, that Mr. Floyd died because the weight of the entire Minneapolis Police Department was on his neck. The City of Minneapolis has a history of policies, procedures and deliberate indifference that violates the rights of arrestees, particularly Black men, and highlights the need for officer training and discipline. This is an unprecedented case, and with this lawsuit we seek to set a precedent that makes it financially prohibitive for police to wrongfully kill marginalized people -- especially Black people -- in the future.”

The federal lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court of Minneapolis. Kaarin Schaffer, the trustee for the family, is named as the plaintiff. 

While the damages the family is looking for haven't been disclosed, family attorney L. Chris Stewart says justice for Floyd's death is the main goal with the case. 

“The Floyd family deserves justice for the inhumane way in which officers with the Minneapolis Police Department killed Mr. Floyd. Furthermore, the City has a responsibility to acknowledge the history and practices of excessive force and impunity with its police force, as well as shortfalls in officer training and discipline.”