TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Paul Burch on Oct 18, 2023

Two former Memphis police officers are joining the City of Memphis' motion to dismiss the $550 million civil lawsuit brought against the city and others in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death, reports the Commercial Appeal. Attorneys for the officers argue that the lawsuit cites an incorrect constitutional amendment violation, that they are protected from the suit by the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act and that Nichols' mother does not have standing to sue on Nichols' behalf. Nichols was pulled over by Memphis police officers for reckless driving on Jan. 7 and was subsequently tased and beaten. He died three days later due to blunt-force trauma. The lawsuit was ffiled in late April and cites negligence and accuses MPD of having policies in place that would violate the civil rights of Memphians.