The family of Australian life coach Justine Damond Ruszczyk, who was shot dead by a Minneapolis police officer, has filed a civil lawsuit in the US.
The lawsuit filed in the US District Court on Monday, could result in a $67 million dollar payout ($50 million US) to her family if successful.
Damond Ruszczyk’s father John Ruszczyk said in a statement he instructed his attorneys to file a complaint for the ‘violent, unnecessary, and unconstitutional death of my daughter’.
‘The damages for the violation of Justine’s most important civil right, the right to life, are immense.
The family of Australian life coach Justine Damond Ruszczyk (pictured), who was shot dead by a Minneapolis police officer, has filed a civil lawsuit in the US
The lawsuit alleges the shooting officer Noor (pictured) was inexperienced and unfit for duty
‘They include the unimaginable suffering she endured from the time the bullet struck her until she died, the loss of her upcoming marriage to her soulmate, Don, the loss of parenthood – something she dearly wanted – the loss of work and play,’ he said.
‘The loss of the special relationships with her friends and family, the loss of economic opportunity and the loss of the satisfaction of helping others find their way and their peace in this world; something for which she had a unique gift.’
‘We cannot let her death be in vain,’ he said.
The family’s lawyer, Bob Bennett, a specialist in representing victims of police shootings in Minnesota, filed the civil rights complaint in the US Federal Court in Minneapolis on Monday.
Damond Ruszczyk, 40, formerly of Sydney, was dressed in her pyjamas at her Minneapolis home just before midnight on July 15 last year when she heard what she feared was a woman being raped.
She called police and when a squad car arrived in an alley behind her house she approached it in the darkness.
Mohamed Noor, who is no longer a police officer, was allegedly sitting in the front passenger seat of the police vehicle, shot across his partner and out the window at Damond Ruszczyk.
The bullet hit her in the stomach and she died at the scene.
Family and friends gather on Freshwater Beach during a candlelight vigil for Justine Damond, in Sydney, Sunday, July 15, 2018
Justine Damond Ruszczyk, 40, (pictured) formerly of Sydney, was dressed in her pyjamas at her Minneapolis home just before midnight on July 15 last year when she heard what she feared was a woman being raped
The lawsuit alleges Noor was inexperienced and unfit for duty.
The lawsuit also claims Noor and his partner at the time, Officer Matthew Harrity, conspired to cover up the facts surrounding the shooting and made a conscious decision not to activate their body cameras.
The lawsuit names Mohamed Noor and his partner, the city of Minneapolis and the current and former police chief as defendants.
Noor has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Damond Ruszczyk’s US fiance, Don Damond, and family and friends last week held vigils in Minneapolis and Sydney to commemorate the first anniversary of her death.
Damond told the gathering in Minneapolis that the pain he has endured was unimaginable.
Mohamed Noor, who is no longer a police officer, was allegedly sitting in the front passenger seat of the police vehicle, shot across his partner and out the window at Damond Ruszczyk