Overview
- The family filed the lawsuit on Aug. 21–22, 2026, charging the City of Charlotte and Professional Police Services (PSS) with negligent security that they say led to Iryna Zarutska’s death.
- The complaint gives specific staffing figures, saying the city funded 219 security positions for 2025–26 but PSS had hired 183 and had only 11 armed guards instead of 39 authorized by contract.
- Plaintiffs say the attacker boarded the LYNX Blue Line without paying because there were no turnstiles or effective fare checks, a claim supported by a state audit that found missing physical barriers and a drop in fare‑evasion citations.
- Criminal prosecutions of the accused, Decarlos Brown Jr., remain on hold after judges found him incompetent to stand trial in federal and state proceedings.
- The estate seeks compensatory damages above $25,000 and punitive damages against PSS only, and the suit could drive further legal and policy scrutiny of transit security after the state audit and passage of Iryna’s Law.