Kenneth and Jacqueline Johnson filed a wrongful death suit past year accusing two brothers of killing their son.
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“I have concluded that the motions should be granted and that some amount would be awarded in each motion”, Porter stated in an email filed with the court.
Kendrick Johnson’s body was found rolled up in a gym mat at Lowndes High School in January of 2013. The state medical examiner ruled the 17-year-old died of positional asphyxia after he got stuck in the mat, presumably reaching for a pair of sneakers.
Johnson’s parents have been searching for answers ever since.
The Johnsons blamed their son’s death on one of his football teammates, WXIA reported. Crump rose to fame after representing the family of Trayvon Martin in 2012. Johnson’s family argued that he was murdered.
The Johnson family dropped the $100 million lawsuit in March and attorneys for the previously accused are seeking over $850,000 in legal fees as a result.
The department issued a statement saying federal investigators “found insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges”, but it steered clear of saying whether its findings pointed to an accident or homicide as the cause of Johnson’s death. Despite alibis backed up by witnesses and video surveillance, Brian and Branden Bell were targeted by federal investigators but no charges were ever brought.
The Johnsons’ fight for justice has been an uphill battle, to say the least.
“There’s no stopping because of what they keep throwing at us”, Jackie Johnson told Valdosta’s WTXL. “That’s all it is”.
We know he was killed at Lowndes High School. “It’s time for somebody to be held responsible and take accountability to what has been done at that schoolhouse”.
That countersuit, alleging libel and slander, seeks $1 million in damages. The Bells, the Lowndes County sheriff and Lowndes County school system all filed motions for reimbursement, which total a whopping $900,000, the AJC reports.
His family had filed a wrongful death lawsuit, accusing several groups of covering up his death and not coming forward with information.
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A hearing to determine how much Kenneth and Jackie Johnson and their lawyer, Chevene King, will be required to pay will begin Monday, August 22 and is expected to last the entire week.
