Estate of man Kyle Rittenhouse killed in self-defense launches ‘wrongful death’ lawsuit

On Friday, Kyle Rittenhouse announced that he was being sued by the estate of Joeseph Rosenbaum for "wrongful death" in connection to the 2020 incident where Rittenhouse shot Resenbaum and two others in self-defense during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

According to court filings, along with Rittenhouse, the Rosenbaum estate is suing Kenosha police officials, multiple county sheriff's departments, the city of Kenosha, and multiple county governments for "compensatory and punitive damages."

The suit goes on to allege that law enforcement deputized a group of armed individuals that Rittenhouse was part of and "conspired with them, ratified their actions by letting them patrol the streets, armed with deadly weapons, to mete out justice as they saw fit." It went on to claim law enforcement "made plans to funnel the protestors toward the armed individuals 'deal with them.'" 

"As a result, defendant Rittenhouse fired his assault rifle indiscriminately multiple times at citizens on the street," the filings claim about the incident. 

In a statement posted on X, Rittenhouse said, "I'm being sued again for defending my life." 

“These lawsuits are making it harder and harder for me to move on with my life,” he told Texas Scorecard. "It is extremely difficult to go outside without fear of being harassed or assaulted because of the lies spread in these lawsuits. No one should have to continue to defend the fact that they acted in self-defense.”

In November 2021, Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges, including one count of first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Joseph Rosenbaum. The defense attorney successfully argued that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense when he was pursued and chased by an angry mob, his life threatened by Joseph Rosenbaum, beaten with a skateboard by Anthony Huber, and finally threatened with a handgun by Gaige Grosskreutz during the 2020 Kenosha riots. 

Gage Grosskreutz, who was injured by Rittenhouse during the incident, previously filed a lawsuit for "damages for emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, and other pain and suffering on all claims," and punitive damages. Grosskreutz admitted during trials that he had pointed his gun at Rittenhouse before the then 17-year-old shot him.