Dallas

‘City of Dallas Should Be in This Lawsuit,' Attorneys for Jean Family File Notice of Appeal

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Attorneys for the family of Botham Jean filed an appeal Friday saying they still believe the City of Dallas should be held responsible for the death of Botham Jean.

This comes one day after a partial judgement that the city of Dallas is not liable.

Attorney Daryl Washington said he and others representing Botham Jean’s family will continue to push to hold the city of Dallas responsible.

“We are accustomed to dealing with this type of process in the legal arena,” said Washington.

On Thursday, a U.S. District Judge dismissed the city from a civil lawsuit filed by Jean's family.

The civil suit argued that better police training could have prevented his death. The city said the lawsuit failed to provide evidence of that, and a judge agreed.

It’s a move Washington said he and his legal team strongly disagree with.

“We feel that the city of Dallas should be in this lawsuit. Should be held responsible for the acts of Amber Guyger,” he said.

Guyger, the officer who shot and killed Jean in his own apartment last year, is still a defendant in the civil suit. But Washington said news about the city was a blow to Jean’s mother and father.

“To get this news the day after Christmas was very difficult for the family,” said Washington. “They know we have a fight ahead of us. And they’re just prepared to do whatever it takes to get some type of justice for Botham and their family.”

NBC 5 reached out to the Dallas City Attorney’s office, but they declined to comment.

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