Grier Family Files $100 Million Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Over Daughter’s Death in Sheriff’s Patrol Car

The family of Brianna Grier, a 28-year-old Georgia mother who died after falling out of a sheriff’s patrol car last summer, has filed a $100 million federal civil rights lawsuit against the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

The lawsuit alleges that deputies “unlawfully and willfully seized and restrained” Grier, “falsely arrested” her, and “picked her up and dropped her multiple times, ignored her cries for help and deprived her of medical assistance, caused injury to her head and brain and ultimately caused her death, misrepresented the true facts, and defamed her.”

Grier was having a mental health episode and was being transported by a Hancock County sheriff’s deputy when she fell out of the moving patrol car on July 15, authorities have said. Her family had called for help at their home in Sparta, around 60 miles west of Augusta, that night and she ended up being handcuffed and put in the back of the patrol car.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the deputy failed to close the rear passenger door before the car left the scene. The lawsuit alleges that the deputy’s negligence led to Grier’s death.

The Grier family’s attorneys have called for justice and accountability in the case. They are seeking $100 million in damages for the wrongful death of Brianna Grier. The case is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.