Champaign Co. judge awards $44M to family of slain Lyft driver

Bradley Zimmerman
·2 min read
4

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The family of a rideshare driver killed in Urbana two years ago has been awarded over $44 million in a lawsuit filed against the person accused of killing him.

Marla Rice, the mother of Kristian Philpotts, filed the lawsuit one year ago against Lyft, Tyjohn Williams and Williams’ mother, alleging the three acted negligently and/or intentionally in the death of her son. On Friday, LegalRideshare LLC, the personal injury law firm representing the Rice-Philpotts family, announced that Champaign County Judge Benjamin Dyer had ruled in favor of the family.

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“Criminals must be held accountable when they destroy lives, families and communities,” said attorney Bryant Greening, co-founder of Legal Rideshare LLC. “KP and his family suffered an unimaginable loss. While this award does not bring KP back, it does serve as a source of justice.”

Rice will seek collection of the judgement from Williams and his mother, Greening said. He added that Lyft’s involvement in the lawsuit has already been resolved.

Williams is believed to have been the one who shot and killed Philpotts during a robbery attempt on Jan. 12, 2022. While his criminal court case is ongoing, with a trial scheduled to begin on June 17, Judge Dyer found Williams legally responsible for the death. Williams’ mother was also found legally responsible under Illinois’ Parental Responsibility Law, which allows the parent of a minor to be held liable for damages caused by their child.

The lawsuit alleged that Williams, then 16, used his mother’s Lyft account to request a ride and that shortly after getting into Philpotts’ car, Williams shot him in the back. Philpotts was found at the scene of where his car crashed, and he was later pronounced dead.

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A graduate of Illinois State University and Eastern Illinois University, Philpotts was working as a rideshare driver to save money for veterinary school.

Williams is accused of fleeing the scene after the shooting along with then 16-year-old Na’Shown Fenderson and then 17-year-old Jahiem Dyer, who were present in Philpotts’ car when the murder happened. Fenderson and Dyer both pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice charges, with murder charges dropped, and were sentenced to probation.

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