Mother of Daunte Wright's son sues for funds raised through GoFundMe
MINNEAPOLIS -- The mother of the son of Daunte Wright, who was fatally shot during a traffic stop by former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, has filed a lawsuit against a number of individuals, saying that her son is entitled to half the money raised through GoFundMe donations.
Chyna Whitaker filed suit Monday against the parents of Wright, as well as attorney Ben Crump and his law firm.
In the suit, Whitaker claims that Crump, who was then acting as her legal counsel, assured her that the money donated to the Daunte Wright Sr. Memorial Fund would be split evenly between Wright's family and Wright's son, as his sole heir.
RELATED: Daunte Wright's family, Brooklyn Center reach $3.25 million settlement
Whitaker claims that of the approximately $1,039,260 raised through the fund and managed by Crump's firm, "not one single penny has been turned over to Plaintiff for the benefit of Daunte Jr." Instead, Whitaker claims the entire sum has gone to Wright's parents, Aubuey Wright and Katie Bryant.
Whitaker said that because of Crump's assurances that her son would receive half the funds, she did not set up a separate GoFundMe on her son's behalf.
She says that Crump and Wright's parents have "all turned their backs" on her and her son. She accuses the group of fraud and misrepresentation and calls to not only be given her son's half but also for a possible audit of the fund's accounting.
In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for Ben Crump's law firm said:
"This is strictly a family dispute between the mother of Daunte Wright's child and Daunte's parents, who set up the GoFundMe account in question. Ben Crump Law never handled or controlled the money from this GoFundMe account, which was under the sole direction of Daunte's parents. Ben Crump Law did not benefit from any of the funds raised, and we did not accept any fee in this case. Our hearts are always with the family, and we pray that they can find resolution."
