The family of Botham Jean, the man killed in his own downtown apartment by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in 2018, will file an amended civil rights lawsuit against the city after a federal judge reversed an earlier decision dismissing the city from the case.
Chief Judge Barbara Lynn of the Northern District of Texas had previously ruled that the lawsuit failed to support its claim that lax training and poor city policy contributed to the death of Jean, whom Guyger shot after she mistook Jean s apartment for her own.
Lee Merritt, the family s attorney, said in a statement Friday that after an amended version of the civil rights lawsuit is filed, it will be allowed to move forward.
Judge Barbara Lynn reversed a previous decision to dismiss all claims against the city
Published December 19, 2020 •
Updated on December 19, 2020 at 2:23 pm
A lawsuit against the city of Dallas in connection with the death of Botham Jean will proceed.
On Thursday, federal Judge Barbara Lynn of the Northern District of Texas reversed a previous decision to dismiss all claims against the city and said they could file an amended complaint.
The Jean family filed a civil rights lawsuit in October 2018 claiming the police department did not adequately train Guyger on the use of deadly and non-deadly force, and alleged that the department trains its officers to use deadly force even when there exist no immediate threat to themselves or others.
Dallas now part of Botham Jean wrongful death lawsuit, judge rules in reversal
By FOX 4 Staff article
DALLAS - The city of Dallas will be included in a wrongful death lawsuit over Botham Jean s murder.
A federal judge reversed a lower court ruling that released the city from potential liability.
Jean s family argues that his death was, in part, a result of improper police training for former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger.
She shot Jean after walking into his apartment at the Southside Flats in September 2018. She claimed she thought the apartment was her own and that he was an intruder.