Mother of Daunte Wright’s Son Sues Attorney Ben Crump and Family Over Gofundme Donations

Murjani Rawls
·2 min read
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A display of candles and flowers spells the name of Daunte Wright at a protest over his death on April 12, 2021, in Seattle, Washington. Wright, a Black man whose car was stopped in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on Sunday reportedly for expired registration, and not far from where George Floyd was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis last May, was shot and killed by an officer who police say mistook her service revolver for a Taser.
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The mother of Daunte Wright’s son has filed a lawsuit against civil rights attorney Ben Crump, his law firm, and Wright’s parents, according to CBS News. The dispute is said to be over Gofundme proceeds raised after Daunte Wright Sr’s death.

In the lawsuit, Chyna Whitaker specifically says Crump had promised donations to the Daunte Wright Sr. Memorial Fund would be split evenly between Wright’s family and Wright’s son. Crump was acting as Whitaker’s legal council at this time. But she received “not one single penny” on behalf of Daunte Jr, and all the money went to Wright’s parents.

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In 2021, Wright was killed during a routine traffic stop by former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Porter. Porter claimed she made a mistake when she drew her gun instead of her taser and is serving a two-year prison sentence after being convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter charges.

Whitaker went on to say that she did not make a separate Gofundme for Daunte Jr. because Crump assured her that Daunte Jr. would receive half the funds. Whitaker claims that approximately $1,039,260 was raised through the fund and managed by Crump’s firm. She accuses the group of fraud and misrepresentation. The lawsuit explicitly calls for her son to be given half of the money and a possible audit of the fund’s accounting.

A statement from Crump’s law firm states this is a family matter, and he has nothing to do with it.

From CBS News:

“This is strictly a family dispute between the mother of Daunte Wright’s child and Daunte’s parents, who set up the GoFundMe account in question. 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 a resolution.”