MPD Chief Likely to Be Dismissed from Nichols Civil Suit - Articles

All Content

MPD Chief Likely to Be Dismissed from Nichols Civil Suit

Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jul 8, 2026

In a July 1 ruling, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals remanded a civil rights lawsuit over Tyre Nichols' 2023 beating death back to U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman without ruling on whether Memphis Police Department (MPD) Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis is protected from the suit under qualified immunity. Davis had sought to have herself removed from the suit. The Daily Memphian reports that the decision now rests with Lipman, who previously stated she would remove Davis from the suit. Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, had filed a motion to dismiss Davis and five former officers to get the case moving again. The civil rights suit from Wells, filed in April 2023, has dragged on for more than three years and currently is awaiting a new trial date.