TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Apr 20, 2026

Five former Memphis police officers who faced criminal charges connected to Tyré Nichols' beating after a traffic stop in January 2023 have been dismissed from a civil lawsuit, according to the Commercial Appeal. An order filed Friday allows attorneys representing Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, to dismiss Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith Jr. from the case. Wells' attorneys say they requested the dismissal in an attempt to keep the case on track for trial. Three of the five are seeking a new federal criminal trial and Chief Judge Sheryl Lipman paused discovery related to them until those criminal matters are resolved. Wells' attorneys also are seeking to dismiss the police chief from the suit.