Clayton family to file wrongful death lawsuit against city of Oxford
Jul. 30—NEW ALBANY — The family of Dominique Clayton plans to file a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Oxford next week.
Family attorney Carlos Moore announced the pending lawsuit on the steps of the Union County Courthouse, moments after former Oxford police officer Matthew Kinne pleaded guilty to capital murder in Clayton's death. Moore sent the city a formal notice of intent shortly after Clayton was killed in May 2019.
"The family wanted to get criminal justice first," Moore said. "Now we are going to file suit to get civil justice."
Moore plans to file the lawsuit in the Northern Mississippi U.S. District Court sometime within the next seven days. The lawsuit will grant the attorney subpoena power and access to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation files on Kinne. He suggested Oxford should consider a settlement with the family rather than going to trial.
"The city of Oxford can save their taxpayers some money (by settling)," Moore said. "If not, we will make you pay."
Moore's partner, James Bryant, revealed some of the lawsuit strategy in his comments. He claims Kinne was acting in an official capacity when he killed Clayton because he was using both his service weapon and service vehicle at the time of the crime.
"The city of Oxford is not quite ready to accept responsibility for this man's actions. They have got to give some compensation to this family," Bryant said.
When filed, the complaint will detail the family's allegations and will likely spell out what punitive and compensatory damages are expected.
