MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A new motion in the civil lawsuit by the family of Tyre Nichols against former MPD officers and the City of Memphis was filed Wednesday by both parties, asking for certain confidential documents - including any unreleased body camera footage of the incident - not to be given public access.
The motion, filed by the lawyers of RowVaughn Wells, Nichols' mother, states both sides of the $550 million lawsuit agreed to a protective order, requesting access to confidential documents such as those in the investigation by MPD and other law enforcement agencies, and protecting those documents from the public.
Well's lawyers said all but one defendant in the case agreed with the motion, with one defendant not replying. In this civil case the defendants are the City of Memphis, Interim Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis, seven former Memphis Police officers and three former Memphis Fire employees.
The lawsuit was filed in April, 2023, against the City of Memphis over the death of Nichols. The lawsuit blames former Memphis Police officers for his death and accuses MPD Chief Davis of "turning a blind eye" to the department’s SCORPION unit's "aggressive style of policing" even before Nichols' assault.
A judge set the civil trial for Jan. 27, 2025. A pretrial conference is set for Jan. 17.
Besides the civil trial, five former Memphis Police officers also face a state and a federal criminal trial, the federal is set to begin on Sept. 9, while the state trial is set for August 12, 2024.
Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith, Demetrius Haley, and Emmitt Martin III have pleaded not guilty to state charges of second-degree murder, assault, official misconduct, and kidnapping. They also face federal charges alleging they used excessive force and lied about the beating.
A fifth former officer charged in the case, Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty in early November to federal charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice. Shelby County D.A. Steve Mulroy said Mills also reached deal with the state to plead guilty to charges of second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and official misconduct. A 15-year sentencing recommendation covers both the federal and state cases.
Nichols was beaten Jan. 7, 2023, after a traffic stop that was caught on video, and he died three days later. Nichols died of blows to his head, and the manner of death was homicide, an autopsy report released May 4 showed.