Source: Stephen Maturen / Getty
Chyna Whitaker, the mother of Daunte Wright Sr.’ young son, has filed a lawsuit against civil rights attorney Ben Crump and members of The Wright Family.
In the suit, Whitaker claims her son, Daunte Jr., hasn’t received compensation from money raised through the Daunte Wright Sr. Memorial Fund, a GoFundMe campaign that was created after Wright’s tragic passing. In April 2021, the 20-year-old was fatally shot during a traffic stop by former officer Kim Potter in Minnesota.
Whitaker’s suit, which was filed on Oct. 3, alleges that out of the $1,039,260 raised through the fund “not one single penny has been turned over to Plaintiff for the benefit of Daunte Jr,” according to Law and Crime.
Instead, the money has allegedly gone to Wright’s parents, Arbuey Wright and Katie Bryant. Whitaker also claims that her attorney Ben Crump “assured” her that the money would be evenly split “50/50″ between the Wright family and her son, “however, this did not happen,” the court document states.
Whitaker is accusing Ben Crump & The Wright Family of fraud
Now, Whitaker believes that Crump and Wright’s parents have “all turned their backs” on her and Daunte Jr. In the suit, she accuses both parties and an unnamed John Doe of “fraud and misrepresentation.” The lawsuit also claims that the “Daunte Wright Memorial Fund” was established using Crump’s law firm headquarters as its address.
Whitaker is seeking “in excess of $500,000,” in compensatory damages and a “full and complete accounting” of the money generated through the fundraiser. She’s also requesting for her attorney fees and other court related costs to be covered.
In a statement released on Monday, a spokesperson from Ben Crump’s law firm said that the suit was “strictly a family dispute between the mother of Daunte Wright’s child and Daunte’s parents, who set up the GoFundMe account in question.”
The law firm added:
“Ben Crump Law never handled or controlled the money from this GoFundMe account, which was under the sole direction of Daunte’s parents. Ben Crump Law did not benefit from any of the funds raised, and we did not accept any fee in this case. Our hearts are always with the family, and we pray that they can find resolution.”
Daunte Wright Sr. died on April 11, 2021, after he was shot and killed near the Brooklyn Park area in Minnesota at the hands of Kim Potter. While attempting to apprehend Wright during a traffic stop, Potter drew her firearm, thinking it was a taser and “mistakenly” shot Wright. Back in February, almost a year after Wright’s death, Potter was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter. She was sentenced to serve 24 months: 16 months behind bars and the remainder on supervised release.
RELATED CONTENT: Brooklyn Center Police Chief Says Daunte Wright Shooting Was A Mistake
