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Family of man who died after deputy knelt on him file wrongful death lawsuit

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Relatives of a jail inmate who died after a Kansas sheriff's deputy shoved his knee into the cuffed man's back for one minute and 26 seconds as he repeatedly yelled “Help!” have filed a federal lawsuit. Attorneys for the family of Charles Adair renewed their demand Friday that video of what happened be released publicly in announcing the wrongful death lawsuit. Other WRAL Top Stories Filed earlier this month, the lawsuit names the Wyandotte County sheriff, the unified government for the county and Kansas City, Kansas, and Richard Fatherley, who was charged last year with second-degree murder in Adair's death. “The public has a right to transparency when someone dies in custody in this manner,” Ben Crump, an attorney who is representing the family, said in a news release.

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Other April 17, 2026

Family of man who died after deputy knelt on him file wrongful death lawsuit

The family of Charles Adair, a jail inmate who died after a Kansas sheriff's deputy knelt on his back for over a minute and a half while repeatedly yelling 'Help!', has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit names the Wyandotte County sheriff, the county government, Kansas City, Kansas, and Richard Fatherley, who was charged with second-degree murder in Adair's death. The family's attorney, Ben Crump, emphasized the importance of transparency, stating that the public has a right to know what happened in such cases.

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