The family of Jonathan Jung, who was killed by security guards in the parking lot of Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, has lost their case, but the legal battle is likely to continue as the plaintiffs’ family lawyers are considering an appeal.
According to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the jury found on July 9 that the security officers’ actions did not directly contribute to Jung’s death.
At issue in the trial was the cause of Jung’s death. The family argued that Jung suffocated due to excessive force, while the casino countered that he died from methamphetamine use, based on autopsy results from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Trial transcripts indicate that while the jury found some negligence on the part of the security guards, they did not find that their restraint caused Jung’s death.
The verdict was influenced by an overturned decision to suppress certain evidence during the trial. Initially, the judge had excluded materials such as Jung’s past drug use and drugs found in his vehicle from the proceedings. The only evidence allowed was whether drugs were detected in Jung’s body at the time of his death and how they contributed to his death. This meant that only two possible causes of death, asphyxiation and drug-induced death, were addressed.
“After the recess, the court reversed this decision (of prohibiting disclosing past drug records),” said plaintiffs’ attorney Minh Nguyen. ”Mr. Jung was portrayed as a drug dealer even though he was not, and this may have influenced the jury’s verdict.”
For now, the casino has been spared significant liability by winning the case. The plaintiffs had asked the casino to pay $132 million in damages. The Korea Daily reached out to a representative from Bicycle Casino on July 11 for a statement on the win but has yet to receive a response.
Jung’s father, Jung Sik Jung, expressed his inability to accept the verdict. “Justice doesn’t seem to exist in this society,” he said on July 16, adding, ”It’s hard to accept the outcome, but we will fight to the end.”
The plaintiffs’ attorneys have characterized the case as an Asian George Floyd. One of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Terrence Jones, lamented social indifference, stating, “The victimization of Asians is diminished and buried in this society,” and added, “If Jung was black like I am, his death would have received much wider attention, including from the LA County District Attorney’s Office.”
The incident occurred on July 24, 2021, in the parking lot of the Bicycle Casino. Five casino security officers drove an unarmed Jonathan Jung, who was leaving the casino without resistance after being ordered to leave, to a corner of the parking lot, where they knocked him down and handcuffed him. They were later accused by his family of pressing him down to death with their knees.
BY YEOL JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
