Korryn Gaines Family Wins $38 Million Appeal in Wrongful Death Suit

The family of Korryn Gaines, who was killed by Baltimore County Police in 2016, has won an appeal in an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit.

A special appeals court ruled in favor of the family on Wednesday, according to a regional outlet WJZ 13.

"Korryn Gaines died a horrible, tragic, sadistic death, and we just wanted justice for her and her family," attorney J. Wyndal Gordon said, adding that he spoke with Korryn's mother this week and she is hopeful regarding this most recent development.

For now, according to another attorney—Ken Ravenell—the judges' determination that the lower court had "abused its discretion" when tossing out a jury's previous decision results in the reinstatement of the $38 million in full.

A grand jury had originally awarded the $38 million to the family, who sued Baltimore County Police, in 2018. One year later, a Baltimore County Circuit Court judge reversed the decision using the argument that officers should be protected from such liabilities when "carrying out their duties."

As the Baltimore Sunpointed out in their report on Thursday, there remains some disagreement regarding the status of the $38 million. A Baltimore County official, for example, was quoted in their report as arguing that the latest development in the wrongful death suit could actually lead to the amount being reduced "significantly."

Gaines, 23, was shot and killed by Baltimore County police during an hours-long standoff that began with officers trying to serve a traffic violation warrant. The police killing of Gaines was widely criticized by social justice groups, including the ACLU.