Mother Of Daunte Wright's Son Sues Attorney Ben Crump, Family Members In Dispute Over Fundraising Proceeds
Chyna Whitaker, the mother of Daunte Wright Sr.’s son, filed a lawsuit against Wright’s parents and attorney Ben Crump on Monday (Oct. 3), accusing them of failing to keep a promise to share proceeds with her son that was raised through a GoFundMe campaign, CBS Minnesota reports.
Wright was killed during a traffic stop in 2021 by former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer Kim Potter, who fatally shot him with her service revolver claiming that she mistook it for her Taser. Potter was convicted in December of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison.
Whitaker claims that Crump’s law firm managed the crowdfunding campaign on behalf of Wright's family, raising approximately $1,039,260. She alleges that they have “all turned their backs” on Daunte Wright Jr.
Crump denies any wrongdoing.
According to the lawsuit, Crump was acting as her legal counsel. He promised her that donations to the Daunte Wright Sr. Memorial Fund would be divided evenly between Wright’s family and her son, as his sole heir. But she received “not one single penny” on behalf of Daunte Jr. All the money went to Wright's parents.
Whitaker said she didn’t set up a separate GoFundMe campaign for Daunte Jr. because Crump assured her that Daunte Jr. would receive half the funds. She’s suing to force them to turn over Daunte Jr.'s share and calls for an audit of the crowdfunding account.
Crump said this situation does not involve him.
"This is strictly a family dispute between the mother of Daunte Wright's child and Daunte's parents, who set up the GoFundMe account in question. Ben Crump Law never handled or controlled the money from this GoFundMe account, which was under the sole direction of Daunte's parents,” Crump’s law firm stated, according to CBS Minnesota.
“Ben Crump Law did not benefit from any of the funds raised, and we did not accept any fee in this case. Our hearts are always with the family, and we pray that they can find resolution," the statement continued.
RELATED: Kim Potter, Ex-Officer Convicted in Daunte Wright Shooting, Sentenced To Two Years In Prison
Wright’s family reached a $3.25 million settlement with the city of Brooklyn Center, Minn. in June. The settlement included a promise from city officials to make reforms to prevent a similar police shooting from happening again.
