Family of Renee Good files civil suits against federal government

The family of Renee Good, the woman killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in January in Minneapolis, has filed civil lawsuits against the federal government, federal agents and officials.Renee Good was fatally shot by ICE officer Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7."The day of accountability has arrived for our own U.S. government and its governmental agencies ICE and CBP," said Antonio Romanucci, one of the attorneys representing Renee Good's family. "When government power crosses a line, there must be accountability."The first complaint names the United States as the sole defendant and alleges wrongful death under Minnesota law, citing "battery, assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence that caused Renee's death."According to Benjamin Berkman, an attorney with Romanucci and Blandin, the first lawsuit seeks accountability for the decisions that Ross and other agents made that day, and their choice to "violate DHS policy after DHS policy."The process when it comes to seeking accountability from federal agents differs from how one would seek accountability from a local law enforcement officer, explained Sarah Raisch, a partner with Romanucci's firm.

The family must file a claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and the government can take up to six months to decide on a response. Eventually, instead of a jury trial, the case will be decided by a judge,