Latest news with #Shanquella
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Judge to determine whether Shanquella Robinson lawsuit should stand
A federal judge will decide if a lawsuit over Shanquella Robinson's death should be dismissed. In 2022, Shanquella Robinson died in Mexico, and the circumstances surrounding it have been mysterious and contested. Robinson traveled to Cabo with 6 people whom she considered friends. Her family says her travelmates told them that Shanquella died of alcohol poisoning. An autopsy in Mexico found that she died of neck and spinal cord injuries. A video also surfaced of Shanquella being attacked by one of the girls on the trip. A separate autopsy conducted by the Mecklenburg medical examiner found her cause of death to be undetermined. The FBI said they did not have enough evidence for criminal charges. MORE COVERAGE: Another 'Cabo 6' travel mate asks for the Shanquella Robinson lawsuit to be dismissed The Robinson family is suing the FBI, the Department of State, and six travel mates. On Wednesday, Judge Max Cogburn heard arguments on whether the case should be dismissed. Judge Cogburn seemed very familiar with the case during the nearly hour-long proceedings. 'A United States citizen should not be allowed to go overseas, harm another, or be involved in harm with another United States citizen and come back to the United States and essentially say that they're on base,' Robinson family attorney Sue-Ann Robinson, who is not related to Shanquella, said after the hearing. Attorneys for four of the travel mates, Wenter Donovan, Alyse Hyatt, Khalil Cooke, and Malik Dyer, argued their clients shouldn't be named in the lawsuit since it was another travel mate who was seen in this video attacking Robinson. Their main claim is that the case should be heard in Mexico instead of the United States, since that is where Robinson died and where many of the people live who would be called to testify. Robinson says that wouldn't be appropriate because the main players are US citizens. 'It would be burdensome for cost, burdensome for travel, and burdensome just because the Mexican civil litigation system is completely different,' she said. Judge Max Cogburn appeared sympathetic to the Robinson family's situation. He pointed out to attorneys that the travel mates all left Mexico before the investigation was finished. As family members await the judge's decision, Shanquella's father, Bernard, vowed to keep pressing for justice. 'I'm going to stand on my faith that I know there is a God above who is sitting down and watching everything everybody is doing,' he said. The woman seen in the video attacking Shanquella is named in the lawsuit. She did not have an attorney present on Wednesday. She has changed her name and moved to Connecticut. She has not yet responded to the lawsuit. A judge will make a ruling in the coming weeks. The Robinson family alleged the FBI and State Department did not conduct a proper investigation. The attorney for the FBI disputed that. The Robinson family also called into question redactions made by the FBI in response to their FOIA request. The FBI said the FOIA request is being fulfilled as fast as possible, and the redactions were necessary to comply with privacy laws. VIDEO: FBI files shed some light on Shanquella Robinson investigation
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Another member of the ‘Cabo Six' seeks to have Shanquella Robinson's wrongful death lawsuit dismissed
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — In the ongoing legal battle surrounding the untimely death of Shanquella Robinson, Khalil Cooke, one of the individuals linked to the case, has filed a motion to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit. Cooke, who is the fourth defendant in the case, is arguing that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is an improper venue to hear the case. This motion, filed on March 14, 2025, comes after similar motions were filed by other co-defendants, Alysee Hyatt, Wenter Donovan, and Malik Dyer. These individuals had previously argued that the case should be handled under Mexican law because the incident took place in Mexico. The motion to dismiss claims that since the wrongful death occurred outside the United States, it should be dealt with in Mexico, not in North Carolina, where the defendants reside. Shanquella Robinson's mother, Sallamondra Robinson, has fiercely responded to these motions. In February, Hyatt and Donovan filed their motions, claiming that because the incident happened in Mexico, the case should be pursued under Mexican jurisdiction. However, the plaintiff's legal team has pushed back, arguing that the defendants' motion is not enough to dismiss the case from North Carolina courts. Robinson's response to the motion highlights that this lawsuit is filed by an American plaintiff (Shanquella's mother) against American defendants, many of whom reportedly fled to North Carolina after the incident. This, they argue, makes North Carolina the most appropriate jurisdiction for the lawsuit. According to the plaintiff, the defendants, who are all from North Carolina, allegedly tried to conceal critical information about Shanquella's death after returning to the state. The response emphasizes that the actions of the so-called 'Cabo Six' in the aftermath of Shanquella's death – including promoting the viral video of the violent attack and withholding information from investigators – should be addressed in North Carolina courts. The defense's attempt to have the case dismissed, the plaintiff argues, would only serve to evade justice. In addition to the legal arguments presented by the defendants, the plaintiff raises concerns about the challenges of pursuing the case in Mexico. One of the main points made in the response is that the defendants failed to explain how a case would be properly handled in Mexico, where obtaining testimony from witnesses might be extremely difficult. The plaintiffs argue that dismissing the case would deny them the chance to present their case fairly and could undermine the ability to hold the defendants accountable in a court of law. If the claims are dismissed, some fear it would set a dangerous precedent that could send the message that U.S. citizens can evade justice by fleeing to a foreign country, and then use 'jurisdictional loopholes' to avoid legal consequences. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
