LOS ANGELES – The family of a former NFL cornerback who died while in police custody has filed a lawsuit alleging that he died as a result of excessive force by the authorities, who allegedly have since refused to turn over any video footage of the incident.
Plaintiffs D. Pulane Lucas and Stanley Wilson Sr., acting as administrators for the estate of Stanley Wilson Jr., and individually, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles County, the California Department of State Hospitals, and several unnamed individuals, citing excessive force; cruel and unusual punishment; negligence; negligent hiring, supervision, and retention; violations of the Bane Civil Rights Act; battery; failure to comply with the state public records act; and penal code violations for allegedly failing to report the death of an in-custody inmate.
According to the lawsuit, Wilson Jr., a former NFL cornerback for the Detroit Lions and Stanford University graduate, died while in police custody on Feb. 1, 2023 under allegedly mysterious circumstances. According to court documents, Wilson died while being transferred from a Los Angeles County prison to DSH's Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk for mental health care.
Civic Center and Los Angeles County Superior Court, Los Angeles
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According to the complaint, while Wilson was in custody, he allegedly often complained of chronic tension headaches, chronic insomnia, and toothaches, but a psychological report the day before his transfer allegedly showed that he was not in obvious distress.
Wilson was pronounced dead soon after his arrival at the DSH Hospital, having died during the transfer. According to the lawsuit, an autopsy showed that Wilson had several crimson abrasions on his forehead, right hand, and right knee, along with evident "ligature marks" on his wrist stemming from the restraints used during custody. The plaintiffs contend that his injuries were evidence of excessive force by the defendants. Since Wilson's death, the defendants have refused to turn over any video footage of the incident, the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs are filing for an amount to be determined at trial for damages, court costs, attorneys fees and interest. In addition, they are seeking an injunction against the defendants requiring the defendants to release a complete accounting of all in-custody deaths occurring in 2023 at both the prison and the hospital, including Wilson's, and an order requiring the defendants to complete mortality reviews covering inmate deaths dating back at least six months prior to reported in-custody deaths.
Wilson's family is represented in this case by attorneys John C. Carpenter, Carlos A. Hernandez, and Gabriel Minsal, of Carpenter & Zuckerman, of Beverly Hills.
Superior Court for the State of California for the County of Los Angeles case number 23STCV21997