John Huber, the father of one of the men Rittenhouse killed, filed the civil suit, which US District Judge Lynn Adelman allowed to move forward on Wednesday. The lawsuit names Rittenhouse, the Kenosha County Sheriff, the former and acting Kenosha Police Department chiefs, the city of Kenosha and county of Kenosha as defendants, the report said.
Rittenhouse shot and killed three men while protecting businesses amid racial justice protests in Kenosha in August 2020. In November 2021, a jury acquitted Rittenhouse, who claims he acted in self-defense, on all criminal charges.
Rittenhouse’s lawyers attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed, contending Rittenhouse was never properly served a copy of the complaint. Rittenhouse’s attorneys also contend the suit fails to show he conspired with law enforcement or other individuals to inflict violence on protesters.
“We disagree that Mr. Huber has stated any plausible claims against Kyle,” Shane Martin, a lawyer for Rittenhouse, reportedly said in an interview Thursday.
The lawsuit will now move forward into the discovery phase, according to Anand Swaminathan, a lawyer representing Huber, the report said. The ruling puts the family one step closer to justice for their son’s “needless” death, Swaminathan is quoted as saying in an email.
US District Judge Lynn Adelman, who issued the decision, ruled that as long as the allegations are not “fantastic or delusional,” then the court must accept them and determine their veracity later, the report said.