8/29/23 - Judge Dismisses G.R. City As Defendant In Lawsuit

Patrick Lyoya lawsuit against former G.R. police officer is moving forward, but with some adjustments.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - U.S. District Court Judge Paul Maloney dismissed the city of Grand Rapids from a civil lawsuit filed by the family of Patrick Lyoya. 

The Judge ruled on Monday that Lyoya’s family attorneys failed to provide facts to demonstrate a link between allegations of racial discrimination and that the city had failed to properly train their officers. 

Former Grand Rapids police officer, Christopher Schurr, fatally shot Lyoya during a traffic stop and struggle in April of 2022. 

Judge Maloney said the family attorneys failed to show a solid link between claims of racial discrimination by police and what happened to Lyoya and that failed to show a solid connection between inadequate police training for Schurr. 

Last year the attorneys for the Lyoya family announced a lawsuit seeking $100 million dollars.  

Schurr has been charged with second-degree murder and has been ordered to stand trial following a late-October hearing. 

 A status conference in the case is scheduled for early September.