Attorney For George Floyd's Family Sues Minneapolis, Ex-Officers

MINNEAPOLIS, MN —The attorney for the family of George Floyd Wednesday filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the former police officers who were at the scene of Floyd's arrest.

The lawsuit names the city as the responsible party for the Minneapolis Police Department. The defendants also include ex-cops Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng.

The family's attorney, Benjamin Crump, said that Floyd was "unlawfully maintained" in a dangerous prone position with Chauvin kneeling on his neck. Meanwhile, "Thao not only idly stood by and did nothing to help Mr. Floyd, but actively prevented bystanders from intervening in the unlawful death occurring before their eyes," according to the attorney.

"Every tick of the clock was a violation of the Constitution of the United States," Crump said at a news conferences Wednesday.

The suit says it was unreasonable for Chauvin, Lane and Keung to continue kneeling on Floyd while he was in the street because he did not pose a threat to anyone.

All four officers at the scene had a constitutional duty to intervene on behalf of Floyd, but didn't, the complaint claims. The officers' actions led to Floyd's death, according to the suit.

According to the suit, Floyd was deprived of his rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The complaint seeks that a jury determine the amount of money that should be paid out for damages.

The complaint also asks for the appointment of a receiver or similar authority to ensure that the city of Minneapolis properly trains and supervises its police officers, and for any other additional relief that the court believes is just and equitable.

"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," Crump said.

"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 city cited the ongoing criminal case against the four former offices in its response to the suit.

"George Floyd’s death is a tragedy," City Attorney Erik Nilsson told Patch through a city spokesperson.

"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."

In a now-viral video of the incident, Floyd is heard telling officers "I can't breathe" while being forced down onto the street. He also asks for water.

Bystanders tell Derek Chauvin — who had his knee on Floyd's neck — to get off of him. A second officer — Tou Thao — ordered people to back away from the scene.

Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck even after he went motionless.

All four officers who were at the scene were fired the next day, and have since been criminally charged.

Thao, Kueng, and Lane all face charges of aiding and abetting unintentional second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Chauvin faces third-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and second-degree unintentional murder while committing a felony.

Read the lawsuit below: