MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The City of Memphis has filed a “motion for protective order” to bar documents obtained from the Department of Justice investigation into the Memphis Police Department from being used in the $550 million lawsuit filed by the family of Tyre Nichols against the city.
“The pattern and practice that we found in Memphis must end,” said former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke.
The Department of Justice has since retracted that statement and everything else said about the Memphis Police Department following a federal investigation into the department’s pattern and practices.
A lawsuit filed against the City of Memphis is seeing impacts from the recent decision.
Attorneys for the city say these findings are no longer relevant amid the $550 million lawsuit filed by the mother of Tyre Nichols — Rowvaughn Wells.
This is a big update to a lawsuit that’s been said could bankrupt the City of Memphis.
For months now, attorneys for the city and Wells have gone back and forth. Wells is suing the city for more than half a billion dollars over the police beating that led to her son’s death.
On Monday, attorneys for the city filed a “motion for protective order” against documents initially handed over during the DOJ investigation. But late last month, the civil rights investigation into MPD’s pattern and practices was dropped, no further action or threat of court action would be taken.
District Attorney Steve Mulroy said at the time this was concerning.
“I think it is regrettable that on a nationwide basis, the administration has sort of pulled back from civil rights enforcement investigations. I think the federal government does have a role to play, but at least to the people in Memphis, that’s okay because we have our own process here in Memphis. The mayor has set up a committee, they are looking at it, I intend to be part of that process, the DOJ report is still out there, it speaks for itself,” he said.
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Now with the investigation dropped, the city wants those documents sealed and barred from being used.
In a filing, attorneys for the city say those documents are no longer “relevant nor proportional to the needs of this case.”
The city is now requesting a hearing for the next steps. WREG will keep you updated on this developing lawsuit.