MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Court proceedings are set to happen this afternoon in the case of Rowvaughn Wells versus the City of Memphis after her son Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by several former MPD officers.
She claims that the Memphis Police Scorpion Unit used “seething aggression and unjustified force” against Tyre Nichols when they pulled him over for an alleged traffic violation back in January 2023.
Ben Crump who is the attorney representing the Nichols family says the focus of the lawsuit is ultimately to rid communities of so-called police “oppression” units like the now-disbanded Scorpion Unit.
“It is our mission to make it financially unsustainable for these police “oppression” units to unjustly kill black people in the future,” Crump said.
Trial date set for Tyre Nichols family’s $550M lawsuit against Memphis
The $550 million federal civil lawsuit was filed against the city of Memphis, Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis, and 10 current and former city employees.
The trial date for the case is set for January 27, 2025, which is exactly two years from the date the city released the video of Nichols’ beating.