The family of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minnesota last week, has hired the Chicago law firm that previously represented George Floyd in its civil lawsuit against the Minneapolis police officer responsible for his death.
Romanucci & Blandin made the announcement on Wednesday, exactly one week after Good’s killing.
“Be Good. That’s all Renee wanted to be. Good to her partner, her family, her children and her community. She wanted to see a better world for her kids,” attorney Antonio Romanucci said in a statement. “As a Christian, she would pray for all of us to do better, to be better. We will honor her memory by seeking accountability and change in her name.”
The shooting has caused a stir across the nation, with innumerable anti-ICE protests taking place and Democrats taking action against the Trump administration. For instance, Minnesota and Illinois are suing the federal government over its immigration enforcement operations.
The FBI and Minnesota prosecutors are leading separate investigations into the shooting. Based on the announcement from Romanucci & Blandin, another investigation is getting added to the mix.
The law firm announced it is launching a “civil investigation” into the ICE-involved shooting that caused Good’s death. Romanucci noted the difficulty in filing civil litigation against federal officers.
“It is always challenging to pursue litigation against state and local law enforcement officers because of the many immunities they are afforded,” he said. “But legal action against the federal government is even more complex, as it requires victims to navigate the byzantine, time-consuming processes mandated by the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA).”
“Even after following those processes, a lawsuit filed in court is then argued in front of a federal judge – not a jury of community members – to determine how justice is served,” the attorney added. “This process will not deter us in any way from fervently pursuing justice on behalf of Renee Good.”
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Romanucci & Blandin is representing Good’s wife, parents, and siblings.
The firm represented Floyd’s family in a civil lawsuit against Minneapolis and four police officers, including Derek Chauvin, who remains imprisoned for the black man’s murder. The litigation resulted in a $27 million settlement for Floyd’s family in 2021.