The family of a high school basketball player who was beaten to death will file a wrongful-death lawsuit on the anniversary of his death.
Troy Causey's family announced the lawsuit against the Dallas Independent School District and the Dallas County Juvenile Department outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building at 11 a.m.Tuesday.
In the lawsuit, the family claimed Causey was put in a dangerous situation when he was recruited to play basketball for and live in a district away from his family.
The family also chided Dallas ISD for failing to enforce recruiting policies. They said the Wilmer-Hutchins High School basketball coach visited Causey during his eight-month stay at the juvenile department, which violates the department's "family only" visitation policy.
"DISD and the [juvenile] department engaged in a policy and practice of deliberate indifference to the care and custody that resulted in the death of Causey," the lawsuit states.
[[297399021, C]]
Causey's Death
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Causey, an 18-year-old Wilmer-Hutchins High School student, died March 24, 2014, from injuries suffered when he was beaten the night before. Authorities said the incident started after an argument over a video game.
Causey was set to sign with Seminole State College in Oklahoma, where he received a full basketball scholarship.
Police charged former Madison High School student Johnathan Turner, another student who lived in the same house, with manslaughter a few weeks later. Police said Turner admitted to hitting Causey, who hit his head when he fell and lost consciousness.
Turner's case has not yet reached trial.
Illegal Recruiting
Causey's death raised questions about why Causey and Turner lived in the Oak Cliff home while their families lived within the boundaries of other school districts.
Causey and Turner were declared ineligible based on residency and the University Interscholastic League stripped Madison High School of its Class 3A state basketball championships in 2013 and 2014.
After investigating, the Dallas Independent School District fired 15 employees amid allegations of faked residency documents that helped the schools field stronger basketball teams.
The Dallas Morning News later reported, according to DISD records, that at least 13 Madison students had the same address as assistant basketball coach Tracy Flentroy. Flentroy told the paper that his niece has stayed at the home and didn't know why district records listed his address for 13 students.
