Judge Allows Lawsuit in Death of BLM Protester Summer Taylor to Proceed

Photo byThe Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore Law Firm

A King County Superior Court judge has approved the wrongful death lawsuit of a Black Lives Matter protester for trial, a law firm representing the case announced on Friday.

On July 4, 2020, Summer Taylor was killed by an oncoming driver on Interstate-5 while protesting the murder of George Floyd with other racial justice protesters.

The driver, Dawit Kelete, has since pleaded guilty to vehicular assault and reckless driving charges.

In the following months, the Stritmatter law firm sued the State of Washington on behalf of the family. Shannon Kilpatrick of the Stritmatter firm and attorneys for Taylor, argued that the State’s failure to close the freeway that night led to Taylor's death.

On Friday, King County Superior Court Judge Sandra Widlan denied a motion by the state to dismiss the case, allowing it to move forward, the Stritmatter law firm announced further.

Taylor's case is being represented by Kilpatrick, Karen Koehler, Mo Hamoudi, and Furhad Sultani.

The case is set to go to a jury trial on Aug. 19, the law firm has announced further.