[MI] Mother of murdered DPD Officer Catherine Williams wants freeze lifted so she can sue

 Catherine "Katie" Ryan Williams
June 18, 1976 - September 22, 2009

...Patricia Williams, a Detroit police officer, was “extremely brutally” murdered by her husband in 2009... The suit from Patricia's mother claims two Detroit Police ranking officers protected [Catherine's husband, Detroit Police Detective] Ed Williams from criminal prosecution when he assaulted his wife in the days leading up to killing her... Ryan, argues the police department is liable for a “state-created danger” for not hospitalizing Ed Williams after a string of domestic violence and suicidal incidents...

PREVIOUS POSTS:

• [MI] Officer-Involved Murder-Suicide: Detroit Detective Williams' note to give his possessions to his mother "wasn't quite a suicide note"?
• [MI] One year ago today Detroit Police Officer Patricia Catherine "Katie" Ryan Williams was stolen away
• [MI] Family of slain Officer Williams is suing Detroit for not preventing her death

MURDERED POLICE OFFICER'S FAMILY WANTS TO SUE CITY OF DETROIT: Family wants bankruptcy judge to lift lawsuit freeze
ClickOnDetroit, Local 4
Published On: Oct 02 2013
[Excerpts] The family of a Detroit police officer murdered in 2009 has asked federal bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes to lift a freeze on lawsuits against the city of Detroit so they can pursue their case. Officer Patricia Kate Williams was shot and killed outside the Canton Township public library by her police officer husband, Ed Williams, who then committed suicide. Officer Williams' mother, Deborah Ryan, still feels the pain. "My daughter is missed by many," Ryan said. Deborah Ryan is suing Canton Township and the city of Detroit.  She says two days before the killing, her daughter told Canton Township police she had been battered'... According to the lawsuit, Canton police put the name of Ed Williams into the lien system, but Deborah Ryan said Detroit police advised them to remove it. "If they would have followed the same rules that would have applied to me as a person who did not wear a badge, that they would have arrested him," Ryan said. Now, Deborah Ryan believes the city is trying to hide behind its bankruptcy filing. "The city still needs to answer questions. Why? Be accountable for what you have done to our family," Ryan said... [Full article here]

BANKRUPTCY JUDGE: UNION CAN PURSUE RETIREE BONUS CHECKS
The Detroit News
October 2, 2013
[Excerpt] ...The family members of a slain Detroit police officer wants [U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven] Rhodes to let their lawsuit against the city and police personnel proceed despite the historic bankruptcy case.
Attorney William Goodman asked the judge for permission to seek restitution for the estate of slain Detroit officer Patricia Williams, who was killed by her husband, Ed Williams, a Detroit homicide detective, in a murder-suicide in the Canton Public Library parking lot on Sept. 23, 2009.
Patricia Williams’ mother, Deborah Ryan, is pursuing a lawsuit against the city, arguing the Police Department is liable for a “state-created danger” for not hospitalizing Ed Williams after a string of domestic violence and suicidal incidents. Goodman said the bankruptcy case’s automatic stay violates the family’s constitutional rights to due process. Rhodes set another hearing for Tuesday on the matter... [Full article here]

DETROIT BANKRUPTCY JUDGE HEARS SLAIN COP SUIT, RULES ON 13TH CHECKS
Detroit News
OCT 2, 2013
[Excerpts] Detroit's historic bankruptcy case is being held before U.S. District Judge Steven Rhodes. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes heard several requests today to unfreeze lawsuits against the city, including one filed by the family of a Detroit police officer killed by her estranged husband, a homicide detective...
8:44 am
SLAIN COP'S FAMILY FIGHTS TO PURSUE CASE AGAINST DETROIT
[Excerpts] The family of a slain Detroit police officer wants U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes to let their lawsuit against the city and police personnel proceed despite the historic bankruptcy case. The request, which you can read here, will be heard this morning, more than four years after Detroit homicide Detective Ed Williams, 36, of Canton Township, shot his wife, Patricia, 33, before turning the gun on himself. The shootings followed an argument in the Canton Public Library parking lot Sept. 23, 2009. Patricia Williams’ family filed a lawsuit in 2011 accusing two Detroit sergeants of protecting Ed Williams from possible criminal prosecution following reports he had assaulted his wife in the days leading up to the shooting. The 22-page complaint chronicled the last three days of Ed’s and Patricia Williams’ lives. The time was marked by allegations of domestic violence against the husband and a statewide law enforcement alert prompted by the discovery of what appeared to be a suicide note written by Ed Williams. A Detroit police sergeant convinced Canton Township Police to cancel the alert, and Ed Williams eventually shot and killed his wife, according to the lawsuit...
10:10 am
ATTY: SLAIN DETROIT COP 'EXTREMELY BRUTALLY' MURDERED BY HUSBAND
Patricia Williams, a Detroit police officer, was “extremely brutally” murdered by her husband in 2009, a lawyer for the late woman’s family told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes today. Attorney William Goodman wants permission to pursue a lawsuit against the city and police personnel while the Detroit bankruptcy case is pending. The lawsuit is two years old but was frozen after Detroit filed Chapter 9 bankruptcy in July. The bankruptcy case’s automatic stay violates the family’s constitutional rights to due process, said Goodman... The city is fighting the family’s request for relief... The judge said he would issue a written order soon.
4:44 pm
DETROIT BANKRUPTCY JUDGE SEATS HEARING IN SLAIN OFFICER LAWSUIT
[Excerpts] U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes scheduled an Oct. 8 hearing before deciding whether to unfreeze a lawsuit filed by the family of a slain Detroit police officer. The hearing will give Detroit lawyers a chance to prove the city would be harmed if the lawsuit continues in federal court. Attorney William Goodman asked the judge for permission to seek compensation for the estate of slain Detroit officer Patricia Williams... Patricia Williams’ mother, Deborah Ryan, argues the police department is liable for a “state-created danger” for not hospitalizing Ed Williams after a string of domestic violence and suicidal incidents. The lawsuit is two years old but was frozen after Detroit sought bankruptcy protection on July 18. [Full article here]

NEW EMAIL RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HIRING OF KEVYN ORR AND JONES DAY IN DETROIT BANKRUPTCY
WXYZ
10/02/2013
[Excerpts] ...The suit from Patricia's mother claims two Detroit Police ranking officers protected Ed Williams from criminal prosecution when he assaulted his wife in the days leading up to killing her... [Full article here]
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