News Channel 3 WREG TV in Memphis, Tennesse is reporting that the claims brought forth WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler regarding his son Brian Christopher Lawler’s in-custody suicide at the Hardeman County Jail has been officially dismissed, according to the Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office.
Brian Christopher Lawler was booked into the Hardeman County Jail in Bolivar back on July 7, 2018 for DUI charges, evading arrest and driving with a revoked license. On the morning of July 7, he was found hanging in his cell. Brian was pronounced dead at around 4:40 pm local time. He was only 46-years old.
The following is also per the report from WREG TV:
One year later after his son’s death, Jerry Lawler filed a wrongful death lawsuit against officials in Hardeman County. Lawler was suing for $3 million in compensatory and an undetermined amount in punitive damages.
Back in September 2022, the district court denied claims against county Sheriff Doolen and Leonard Brown. However, claims brought against Judy Wiggins, Ellen Futrell, and William Gonzalez by Jerry Lawler were not denied.
The original court’s ruling had been reversed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The court’s ruling claimed that Wiggins, Futrell, and Gonzalez had qualified immunity that protected them from being sued.
Jerry Lawler’s original lawsuit claimed that Hardeman County authorities did not get his son treatment for drug and alcohol issues and after that he was injured in a fight, they put him in solitary confinement, in which he used his shoelaces and bolts in his cell to commit suicide.