{"id":261159,"date":"2026-04-22T13:43:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/261159\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T13:43:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:43:20","slug":"botham-jeans-family-sues-in-effort-to-force-dallas-to-pay-jury-award-for-accountants-2018-murder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/261159\/","title":{"rendered":"Botham Jean\u2019s Family Sues in Effort to Force Dallas to Pay Jury Award for Accountant’s 2018 Murder"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than a year after a federal jury ordered former Dallas police Officer\u00a0Amber Guyger\u00a0to pay\u00a0$98 million in damages<\/a> to the family of Botham Jean for fatally shooting him, Jean\u2019s family is seeking to have the city cover the judgment.<\/p>\n

In a lawsuit filed this week in\u00a0Dallas County District Court, lawyers for Jean\u2019s family argued the city\u2019s Officer and Employee Liability Plan requires it to cover losses caused by the actions of an employee during the scope of their employment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the City\u2019s obvious social, moral, and ethical obligations to satisfy the Judgment under its social contract with its citizens, the City has a clear legal obligation to pay the Judgment by virtue of its duty to indemnify former Officer Guyger under the Plan,\u201d the lawsuit said. \u201cDespite ample opportunity to do so, the City has failed to satisfy all or any part of the judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawyers for the Jean family didn\u2019t respond March 6 to a message seeking comment. A city spokesperson said the city doesn\u2019t respond in cases of pending litigation.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0September 2018, Guyger mistook Jean\u2019s apartment for her own. She told investigators she thought the 26-year-old [PricewaterhouseCoopers] accountant was a burglar when she shot him with her service gun.<\/p>\n

\"\"Amber Guyger<\/p>\n

Guyger was\u00a0found guilty of murder<\/a>\u00a0a year later and sentenced to 10 years in prison. She was denied parole in\u00a0October 2024<\/a>\u00a0but will be eligible again later this year.<\/p>\n

Jean\u2019s parents and sister filed a federal civil lawsuit against Guyger and the city a month after the shooting in which they said she was poorly trained and had followed what they called the department\u2019s protocol of \u201cshoot first and ask questions later.\u201d<\/p>\n

A judge released the city<\/a>\u00a0from the case after city attorneys argued the lawsuit failed to provide evidence to support its claims and could not prove causation. The fact that Guyger was off duty at the time of the shooting also was a factor.<\/p>\n

When the case\u00a0went to trial in\u00a0November 2024<\/a>, Guyger was the only defendant and was serving her sentence.\u00a0The jury\u2019s award<\/a>\u00a0included $38 million in compensatory damages and $60 million in punitive damages.<\/p>\n

Photo caption: Andrew Veazey looks at artwork of Botham Jean as it hangs hangs on the wall on Oct. 2, 2019, at the PricewaterhouseCoopers office in Dallas. (Shaban Athuman\/TNS)<\/p>\n

_______<\/p>\n

\u00a92026 The Dallas Morning News. Visit\u00a0dallasnews.com<\/a>. Distributed by\u00a0Tribune Content Agency LLC.<\/p>\n

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