KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 15, 2026) –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, along with attorneys Harry Daniels, Gabrielle Higgins, and Sue-Ann Robinson, has filed a federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of Charles Adair. Adair died while in custody at the Wyandotte County Detention Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The complaint names Wyandotte County, Deputy Richard Fatherley, and Wyandotte County Sheriff Daniel Soptic as defendants.
According to the complaint, on July 5, 2025, Adair was a pretrial detainee held on misdemeanor traffic warrants who required a wheelchair due to a serious left-leg infection. The lawsuit alleges that while being moved to his cell, deputies placed him face-down in an unauthorized prone restraint and Deputy Richard Fatherley pressed his body weight onto Adair’s back, restricting his breathing. The complaint states Adair became unresponsive and was pronounced dead at approximately 9:19 p.m. In 2025, Fatherley was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Adair’s death.
“This lawsuit was filed because even after criminal charges were brought, the public still has not been allowed to see the video of what happened to Charles Adair,” said Crump. “Our team has seen that video on camera at the Wyandotte County Attorney’s Office. What it shows, according to our complaint, is a man with a visibly serious leg injury, who posed no threat, being suffocated face-down on a bed while officers pressed their weight onto him. The public has a right to transparency when someone dies in custody in this manner. Charles’s family deserves the truth, and one of our demands is that this video finally be released to the public.”
The complaint further states that the Wyandotte County Coroner’s final autopsy report determined Adair’s cause of death to be complications of mechanical asphyxia and his manner of death to be homicide. The lawsuit alleges excessive force, failure to intervene, and deliberate indifference to serious medical needs, and seeks accountability from all responsible parties.
“This case is about accountability at every level,” said Daniels. “The complaint alleges a failure to intervene, a failure to recognize medical distress, and a failure to follow basic standards of care for a vulnerable person in custody. We intend to hold every responsible party accountable for what happened to Charles Adair.”
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
