In recent news, an Alabama woman filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging McCurtain County and its Sheriff's Department were responsible for her husband's death.

The Case: Barbara Barrick v. McCurtain County and County Sheriff's Dept.

The Court:

The Case No.: CIV-23-129-GLJ

The Plaintiff: Barbara Barrick v. McCurtain County and County Sheriff's Dept.

The plaintiff in the case, Barbara Barrick, is the widow of a man who died while in the McCurtain County Sheriff's Department's custody. Barrick claims the community's treatment of both Native Americans and African Americans creates a divide amongst locals and has for quite some time. According to the lawsuit, sheriff's deputies found Bobby Barrick beaten and bound at a convenience store on March 13th, 2022. Several vigilantes had assaulted the 45-year-old Barrick. The lawsuit also states that the deputies proceeded to handcuff Barrick and use unreasonable force, even going so far as using Tasers while Barrick was restrained. Deputies were allegedly instructed to turn off their body-worn cameras when they were removing Barrick from the back of the vehicle. As deputies and an Oklahoma game warden laid on top of the restrained Barrick, they determined that he had stopped breathing and no longer had a pulse. After they noted this, Barrick had a seizure. He was then transported to McCurtain Memorial Hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator before later being transported to Paris Regional Medical Center for more treatment. Barrick died five days later.

The Defendant: Barbara Barrick v. McCurtain County and County Sheriff's Dept.

The defendant in the case, McCurtain County and McCurtain County Sheriff's Dept., allegedly delayed or denied multiple requests for information related to the incident. The failed public records requests account for much of the case's controversy. The complaint claims the McCurtain County Sheriff's Department has a history of allowing its officers to use unnecessary, unreasonable, and excessive force even when those being arrested post little to no threat, resulting in a long history and unhindered custom of excessive force.

The Case: Barbara Barrick v. McCurtain County and County Sheriff's Dept.

According to court documents, Barrick allegedly broke a door at an Eagletown, Oklahoma store and then climbed on a vehicle. After vigilantes beat him, they restrained him. Sheriff's deputies reported to the scene to find Bobby tied up. The deputies allegedly responded by handcuffing him and then detaining him using unnecessary force. The officers allegedly turned off their body cameras when the interaction became physical. Accounts of the events varied between the officers on the scene and the EMTs and firefighters who also reported to the scene. An EMT and a firefighter on the scene both stated that they heard Bobby yell, "They're trying to kill me," as the officers were trying to remove him from a police vehicle. Court documents also state that the officers tased Bobby multiple times while he was handcuffed and pulled him out of the vehicle by his feet, so he fell from the vehicle to land face down in the parking lot. Bobby's wife, Barbara Barrick, is seeking $2 million in damages.

If you have questions about how to file a California wrongful death lawsuit, please get in touch with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced wrongful death attorneys are ready to assist you in various law firm offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.