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The City of Memphis is claiming that Tyre Nichols was abusive to a woman to push back against Nichols’ family’s ongoing $550 million civil lawsuit against the city.
According to Commercial Appeal, last week, the city claimed that while deposing a woman named Morgan Jackson, she told attorneys representing the city that Nichols had abused her “on a number of occasions.”
The city has also sought the phone records of the Nichols family as well as phone records of the family Tyre was close to while living in California. The city claims it needs the records to argue its case against why the city isn’t responsible for paying the lawsuit. The city’s attorneys also claim that losing the lawsuit would “essentially bankrupt the City of Memphis.”
But, attorneys for Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, called the city’s actions a “smear campaign.”
“This clearly does not go to the issue of liability and why a crew of Memphis police officers beat Tyre Nichols to death and it has no relevance in the harms this crew caused to his family as this all happened after the fact,” Wells’ attorney said in a statement. “Clearly, the city is making its case to the public by attempting a smear campaign against the Tyre Nichols family, thinking that payments between family members are somehow going to absolve them of the constitutional pattern and practices of wreaking havoc on the citizens of Memphis.”
The $550 million federal lawsuit names the city of Memphis, Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis, and 10 current and former city employees.
Wells claims the Memphis Police Scorpion Unit used “seething aggression and unjustified force” against Tyre Nichols when they viciously attacked him after pulling him over for an alleged traffic violation back in January 2023.
As previously reported by NewsOne, Tyre Nichols, 29, died Jan. 10, three days after he was pulled over at a traffic stop for “reckless driving.” Authorities said the incident occurred shortly after six officers from the department walked over to the young motorist’s vehicle and demanded he step out of the car.
Bodycam footage captured Preston Hemphill, the only white officer present during the fatal arrest, grabbing Nichols out of the vehicle before he was forced to the ground and given conflicting demands. Hemphill fired a stun gun at Nichols after he managed to escape from the police.
Sadly, the five Black officers caught the young motorist just steps away from his mother’s home. As they fought to detain the father of one, officers used a baton to beat him repeatedly. They used pepper spray and kicked him several times during the violent arrest. Nichols, an aspiring photographer, succumbed to his injuries three days later.
The five former Memphis police officers were all convicted in federal court for their roles in fatally beating Tyre Nichols.
All five of the Black men are charged by the state of Tennessee with second-degree murder.
Mills is the only one of the disgraced former police officers who has thus far pleaded guilty to the state charges.
A trial date for the state charges has not yet been set.
SEE ALSO:
Justice For Tyre Nichols: Complete Timeline Of A Police ‘Murder’ And Investigation In Memphis
Ex-Memphis Cops Who Beat Tyre Nichols To Death Found Not Guilty Of Harshest Charges