Attorney Ben Crump Scores $779M Verdict For Black Family

By Stacy M. Brown
Senior National Correspondent
Black Press USA

In an America shaped once again by racial hostility and the rollback of diversity protections under the Trump administration, renowned Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump continues to force institutions to confront the value of Black life.

His latest victory, a $779.3 million wrongful death verdict for the killing of security guard Lewis Butler, 51, who was killed during a 2023 armed robbery at an Internet café in Havana, Florida.

For his widow, Kimberly Butler, the verdict was only one part of what must come next. ‘There’s definitely some changes needed. Some attention needs to be brought,” Butler said. “He put himself in the line of fire to save someone else’s life.”

Crump, who has been called Black America’s Attorney General for the sweeping impact of his civil rights work, spoke to the weight of the jury’s decision.

“The verdict means so much for different reasons,” Crump reasoned. “Obviously, we want to compensate the family for this monumental loss that they suffered, this monumental wrong that this jury verdict helped to have a monumental right.”

He also noted Kimberly Butler’s determination to turn her loss into reform.

The celebrated attorney also made clear that collecting on the judgment will be a fight of its own, but one he intends to pursue relentlessly.

“We absolutely plan on getting some compensation for the family,” Crump proclaimed. “We may have to attach garnishments and liens to property and bank accounts, but we are dogmatic in pursuit of making sure we get compensation from those who the jury felt were responsible for this unnecessary, tragic death.”

The nearly $780 million verdict stands among the largest negligent-security wrongful death awards in Florida history.

Crump’s impressive record displays a consistent demand for accountability. He has represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Stephon Clark, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, the children of Flint, and nine Black women in the Holtzclaw rape case. His work contributed to a $27 million settlement for the Floyd family, a $12 million settlement for the Taylor family, a $641 million settlement for Flint’s children, more than $200 million in banking while Black cases, and a $411 million verdict for Duane Washington.