The family of deceased Maryland woman Korryn Gaines, 23, has been awarded more than $37 million by a Baltimore County jury.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jurors in Korryn Gaines civil case find for Gaines family and son…that Baltimore Co officer Royce Ruby did NOT act reasonably in fatal shooting of her and wounding of son Kodi..awarding $32 mil to Kodi, $300k to father, $300k to mother, $4.5mil to other child of Korryn</p>— Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) <a href="https://twitter.com/jemillerwbal/status/964597133600059395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Korryn Gaines family crying and hugging in courtroom after jury found Gaines rights violated when fatally shot by Baltimore Co police officer Royce Ruby. Ruby did not flinch as verdict and damages read.</p>— Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) <a href="https://twitter.com/jemillerwbal/status/964597824016052224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The jury awarded the Gaines family $37 million for actual expenses including medical and funeral costs and pain and suffering but did not award punitive damages.
The attorney representing the son of Korryn Gaines said, "This is a great day … (the verdict) sends a great message on behalf of many who are victimized by police."
It took three hours for the jury to rule in favor of the Gaines family and decide that Baltimore County police Officer Royce Ruby did not act reasonably when he fatally shot Gaines and wounded her son Kodi Gaines.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I don't know how anyone can just extinguish a life..then hide behind a badge.." Mother of Korryn Gaines after jury awards more than $36mil in damages in fatal shooting of Gaines by Baltimore Co police. <a href="https://t.co/i4SiuVKHww">pic.twitter.com/i4SiuVKHww</a></p>— Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) <a href="https://twitter.com/jemillerwbal/status/964602896850530309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The attorney for the Gaines family J. Wyndal Gordon said, "Korryn is smiling today. She got her day in court." The $37 million was awarded to the Gaines family as follows, $32 million to Kodi, $300,000 to Korryn Gaines' father, $300,000 to Korryn Gaines' mother, $300,000 to Korryn Gaines' estate, and $4.5 million to Karsyn Courtney, Korryn Gaines' daughter.
The incident that led up to Gaines murder began with a traffic stop. When she was pulled over, Gaines refused to provide ID to officers and demanded identification. Officers provided all the identification they had on them but Gaines refused to comply.
Officers called a tow truck to impound her vehicle after threw two citations back out of her car window and refused to comply with orders to get out of the vehicle. Gaines picked up her young child and put him on her lap in order to prevent officers from grabbing her. A supervisor was called to the scene and oversaw her arrest. She was finally pulled from the vehicle and arrested.
It turns out the reason Gaines was pulled over was that she had a piece of cardboard covering her license plate that read, "Any government official who compromises this pursuit of happiness and right to travel, will be held criminally responsible and fined, as this is a natural right and freedom."
Gaines was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and littering. During the initial traffic stop, Gaines recorded the entire encounter even passing the phone to her children to record for her. Gaines failure to appear in court for the charges stemming from the traffic stop led to a bench warrant to be issued for her arrest.
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Authorities served Korryn Gaines warrant but when they tried to arrest her she held her son in one hand and a shotgun in the other. An hours-long standoff ensued during which she threatened officers with her weapon. Finally, at least one police officer fatally shot Gaines and also struck her son who was injured but survived.
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Leading up to her death, Gaines posted several videos on social media during the standoff. The police contacted the social media companies and demanded her accounts be deactivated drawing criticism from the public.
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Sounds like they were trolling for a Lawsuit.