The family of a security guard shot dead while on the job in Florida has been awarded a $779 million payout.
Reverend Lewis Butler was fatally shot while attempting to protect a cashier during an attempted robbery at an internet gambling cafe in Havana, Florida, in November 2023.
Jurors convicted Kevontae Washington of first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted first-degree felony murder with a firearm, attempted armed robbery with a firearm and other charges on November 5.
A separate civil lawsuit was later brought against the cafe’s operators, Fortune MGT 2023 LLC and Manishkumar Patel, by attorney Ben Crump, who alleged that the company had known about and ignored security risks before the incident.
Crump previously argued that the fatal shooting would have been preventable if prior robberies at the same location, including one less than two weeks beforehand on October 23, 2023, had been reported.
A State Attorney's Office investigator also testified at the trial that a gun stolen from the property during a prior incident was used in the robbery that killed Butler.
Announcing the hefty settlement from the wrongful death suit, believed to be the largest in Gadsden County history, Crump said the sum meant “so much for different reasons."
"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," Crump told USA Today.
"The second thing is Mrs. Kimberly Butler testified, since her husband was murdered, she's doing everything she can to try [and] get these internet gambling cafes shut down, because she thinks that they are an invitation for criminal activity," he added.
In 2013, state legislators changed Florida’s gambling laws in an attempt to crack down on internet cafes and other forms of illegal gambling, which the venues often front for. Florida law allows for legal gambling at Indian-owned casinos and privately owned racetracks.
Following the shooting and subsequent settlement, Butler’s family is now calling for further changes to the law, including the creation and passing of the “Lewis Butler Act,” to strengthen oversight on illegal gambling cafes.
“We’re calling on Florida lawmakers and the Gaming Control Commission to take immediate action: increase penalties, strengthen oversight, and shut down these illegal gambling cafés before any more families lose their loved ones,” Crump said on X.
Asked about the likelihood of having the enormous payout fulfilled, Crump said his team "absolutely plans on getting some compensation for the family.”
"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,” he said.
The Independent has contacted Crump’s law firm for further information and comment.
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