The family of an Illinois man whose death prompted murder charges against two paramedics who strapped him facedown on a stretcher has filed a lawsuit against them and their employer, attorneys said Thursday.
Ben Crump, whose firm often handles civil rights cases and steadily represents the families of Black men killed by police, is representing 35-year-old Earl Moore’s family within the lawsuit against Peter Cadigan, Peggy Finley, and LifeStar Ambulance Service. Talking to reporters, Crump said police video of the paramedics’ interactions with Moore showed “barbaric” behavior.
“We saw it with so many tragedies in America,” Crump said, referencing killings of Black men by police, including George Floyd. “It’s just so tragic that now this pattern appears to be spilling over to the primary responders, to the EMTs. Once you have a look at that video, the rationale it’s so shocking is because they provide Earl no consideration.”
Prosecutors have individually charged Cadigan and Finley with first-degree murder, accusing them of tightly strapping Moore on a stretcher after Springfield police, who initially responded to a 911 call at Moore’s home, requested an ambulance. Under Illinois law, a first-degree murder charge will be filed when a defendant “knows that such acts create a robust probability of death or great bodily harm.”
Moore’s mother, Rose Washington, said losing her only son has been unimaginably painful.
“They tied him down like some type of animal and killed him,” she said. “My baby suffocated due to their actions.”
Edward Unsell, Cadigan’s attorney, said he had not seen the suit yet but a civil lawsuit had been anticipated. As for the murder charge, Unsell said he doesn’t consider prosecutors have probable cause against Cadigan.
W. Scott Hanken, Finley’s attorney, also called the criminal charge unwarranted, saying, “What happened could also be negligent, however it’s not a criminal act and definitely not first-degree murder.”
A girl who answered the phone at LifeStar Ambulance Service’s office and didn’t provide her name declined to comment.
Experts in emergency medicine have said the Springfield case is a rare instance of prosecutors filing criminal charges against emergency medicine providers. One other distinguished example is pending in Colorado, where a grand jury in 2021 indicted two paramedics together with three law enforcement officials for manslaughter and other charges within the death of a Black man, Elijah McClain.
Cadigan and Finley remain within the Sangamon County jail on a $1 million bond each. They appeared via video for a temporary court appearance Thursday, but no additional details of the case were discussed. They were scheduled to look again Friday morning.
After Sangamon County prosecutors filed the fees this month, Springfield police released the videos which show a lady inside Moore’s home told police that he’s in withdrawal from alcohol and hallucinating. Police then call for an ambulance.
When Finley arrives she enters the bedroom, where Moore is on the ground. Soon after, she yells at him to take a seat up and asks repeatedly for his birth date.
“Sit up,” she says. “You realize what, I’m not playing. Sit up. Quit acting silly. Sit up. Sit up now. I’m not twiddling with you tonight.”
“You’re gonna must walk ’cause we ain’t carrying you,” she adds.
Once outside the home, the video shows Cadigan forcefully putting Moore onto his stomach on the stretcher and each paramedics tightening straps across his back.
Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette has said he asked Illinois State Police to research after learning that Moore died after arriving on the hospital. An autopsy report listed Moore’s reason for death as homicide by compressional and positional asphyxia.
The family of an Illinois man whose death prompted murder charges against two paramedics who strapped him facedown on a stretcher has filed a lawsuit against them and their employer, attorneys said Thursday.
Ben Crump, whose firm often handles civil rights cases and steadily represents the families of Black men killed by police, is representing 35-year-old Earl Moore’s family within the lawsuit against Peter Cadigan, Peggy Finley, and LifeStar Ambulance Service. Talking to reporters, Crump said police video of the paramedics’ interactions with Moore showed “barbaric” behavior.
“We saw it with so many tragedies in America,” Crump said, referencing killings of Black men by police, including George Floyd. “It’s just so tragic that now this pattern appears to be spilling over to the primary responders, to the EMTs. Once you have a look at that video, the rationale it’s so shocking is because they provide Earl no consideration.”
Prosecutors have individually charged Cadigan and Finley with first-degree murder, accusing them of tightly strapping Moore on a stretcher after Springfield police, who initially responded to a 911 call at Moore’s home, requested an ambulance. Under Illinois law, a first-degree murder charge will be filed when a defendant “knows that such acts create a robust probability of death or great bodily harm.”
Moore’s mother, Rose Washington, said losing her only son has been unimaginably painful.
“They tied him down like some type of animal and killed him,” she said. “My baby suffocated due to their actions.”
Edward Unsell, Cadigan’s attorney, said he had not seen the suit yet but a civil lawsuit had been anticipated. As for the murder charge, Unsell said he doesn’t consider prosecutors have probable cause against Cadigan.
W. Scott Hanken, Finley’s attorney, also called the criminal charge unwarranted, saying, “What happened could also be negligent, however it’s not a criminal act and definitely not first-degree murder.”
A girl who answered the phone at LifeStar Ambulance Service’s office and didn’t provide her name declined to comment.
Experts in emergency medicine have said the Springfield case is a rare instance of prosecutors filing criminal charges against emergency medicine providers. One other distinguished example is pending in Colorado, where a grand jury in 2021 indicted two paramedics together with three law enforcement officials for manslaughter and other charges within the death of a Black man, Elijah McClain.
Cadigan and Finley remain within the Sangamon County jail on a $1 million bond each. They appeared via video for a temporary court appearance Thursday, but no additional details of the case were discussed. They were scheduled to look again Friday morning.
After Sangamon County prosecutors filed the fees this month, Springfield police released the videos which show a lady inside Moore’s home told police that he’s in withdrawal from alcohol and hallucinating. Police then call for an ambulance.
When Finley arrives she enters the bedroom, where Moore is on the ground. Soon after, she yells at him to take a seat up and asks repeatedly for his birth date.
“Sit up,” she says. “You realize what, I’m not playing. Sit up. Quit acting silly. Sit up. Sit up now. I’m not twiddling with you tonight.”
“You’re gonna must walk ’cause we ain’t carrying you,” she adds.
Once outside the home, the video shows Cadigan forcefully putting Moore onto his stomach on the stretcher and each paramedics tightening straps across his back.
Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette has said he asked Illinois State Police to research after learning that Moore died after arriving on the hospital. An autopsy report listed Moore’s reason for death as homicide by compressional and positional asphyxia.
