Experts say family of Korryn Gaines has long fight ahead for the $37 million + in damages they were awarded
The first step to some semblance of retribution in the police’s execution of Korryn Gaines was achieved on Friday, as a six-person, all female jury found Cpl. Royce Ruby and the Baltimore Police Department guilty of violating the slain Baltimore mother’s civil rights under both federal and state clauses. Gaines’ son Kodi, who was shot when police raided the Gaines home and killed his mother on August 1st, 2016, was awarded over 32 million dollars in damages. His sister, Karsyn, was awarded 4.5 million in damages. Additionally, Gaines’ father was given 300,000 dollars and her mother was awarded 307,000 dollars, but none of the damages were deemed punitive.
The State of Maryland has a cap on local governments liability, and legal expert attorney Andrew G. Slutkin (who was not involved in the case) says that there will be a fight for the family to receive money for a long time to come. Slutkin tells the Baltimore Sun: “While that’s a tremendous verdict, it’s certainly going to be subjected to challenges left and right… This will be litigated for years… It’s going to be subjected to many motions in the trial court and the appellate courts as well.”
County Council Chairman Julian Jones, whose district includes Randallstown, where Korryn Gaines was shot, says that he is concerned over the cost of the case to taxpayers in a time and in a city where schools are being closed and there are arguments over whether or not a school is affordable. Additionally, Jones called upon the police to review their policies, saying: “I just think we should really review our policies, not just Baltimore County police, but all police… in terms of when it’s necessary to shoot and is there an alternative to shooting.”
Rhanda Dormeus, Gaines’ mother, dedicated the win to Black women who have lost children to police violence, telling reporters: “This win is for all of my sisters in the movement who have lost their children to police violence… Some of them have never received justice, either criminally or civil. I just want to tell them that this win is for them.”