FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Springfield, IL – On Thursday, January 19th at 12:30 PM CST, at the NAACP Office located at 901 S. 11th Street in Springfield, IL, nationally renowned personal injury attorney Bob Hilliard, of Corpus Christi, TX-based firm Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP (HMG), along with nationally known civil rights lawyer, Ben Crump of Tallahassee, FL, will be holding a press conference to announce the filing of a civil suit in response to the negligent actions that led to the tragic death of Earl Moore, Jr., age 35. Hilliard and Crump have been retained to represent the family of Earl Moore, Jr.
According to reports, on December 18, 2022 at around 2 am, police responded to a 911 call alleging people inside the residence with firearms. Upon arrival, police found no firearms, but saw a resident, Earl Moore, Jr. in bed and in need of medical assistance. Police called for an ambulance and stayed with Mr. Moore until they arrived. Body camera footage shows the arrival of the paramedics, with Paramedic Peggy Finley aggressively instructing Mr. Moore to walk to the ambulance on his own, despite his inability to do so. At no point did Finley or her colleague Peter Cadigan assess his medical condition or evaluate him in any way. Police assisted Mr. Moore out of the house, where he was then incorrectly strapped to the stretcher – face down – and transported to the hospital. Upon his arrival at the hospital, it was found that Mr. Moore had died from compressional and positional asphyxia. Both paramedics have been charged with murder.
“The treatment of Earl Moore, Jr. during a clear medical emergency, is heartbreaking to witness. He was clearly a man in need. As humans, we trust and believe that first responders, such as EMS workers, will provide medical assistance along with compassion and care. Mr. Moore received none of that and, ultimately lost his life because of their lack of duty to care, “ said attorney Bob Hilliard.
Hilliard has a forty-year history of fighting for social justice, having recovered over a billion dollars for victims. Hilliard stood before the Supreme Court of the United States, representing the family of Sergio Hernandez, an unarmed 15-year-old Mexican citizen who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in 2010. Hernandez was standing on Mexican soil when shot. Hilliard also represented the family of Guillermo Arevalo Pedraza, who was killed under similar circumstances by a different U.S. Border Patrol agent. The cases sparked a confrontation between former Mexican President Felipe Calderon and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Hilliard presented the cases to SCOTUS, igniting the responsibility of the United States Congress to find a solution for this type of case in the future.
Hilliard also received acclaim for being awarded the Never Forgotten Award by The Innocence Project of Minnesota for his work in freeing Koua Lee. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times wrote, “Hilliard served charity and justice by intervening. His actions reflect positively on his profession and its capacity for defending and protecting the innocent.” As a result, Mr. Hilliard was a 2011 finalist for Public Justice’s National Trial Lawyer of the Year. An award that recognized that “Mr. Hilliard, as a trial lawyer, takes great risks and overcomes incredible odds to advance the common law, make new law, and to win justice for their clients and the common good of the public.
Attorneys Bob Hilliard and Ben Crump have a long history of fighting for justice for their clients, dating back to 2018 when the team was hired by the family of Danny Ray Thomas, an unarmed black man who was unarmed and shot by the police. The lawsuit is still proceeding against the shooting officer in Houston.
The duo partnered again in 2018, bringing legal action against the NBA, the Detroit Pistons, the Grand Rapids Drive, and the DeltaPlex Arena in a wrongful death suit, filed on behalf of Zeke Upshaw’s mother, Jewel Upshaw. Long Island Nets player, Zeke Upshaw, collapsed during a game and subsequently died. Hilliard and Crump made headlines when a deal was reached in December 2019 with the NBA and the Pistons.
In 2019, Hilliard and Crump filed a civil lawsuit against the NCAA, Board of Regents, and Coach Robert Davie, Jr. in the U.S. District Court, for the District of New Mexico. The ongoing lawsuit alleged nine claims, including wrongful death, and asserted that 21-year-old University of New Mexico football player, Nahje Flowers, was discriminated against by defendants, leading to his untimely death.
More recently, Hilliard and Crump took on systemic racism in the banking industry, winning a large settlement against a financial institution that imposed unreasonable standards on its Black customers. The sizable settlements represent victories against the widespread, racist phenomenon known as “Banking with Black.” The settlements provided funds to the victims of discrimination in the banking industry.
In this most recent case, Hilliard and Crump will once again seek to hold the responsible parties accountable for the senseless and tragic death of Earl Moore, Jr.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Elisabeth Tabor – (361) 882-1612 or email: media@hmglawfirm.com
ABOUT HILLIARD MARTINEZ GONZALES LLP (HMG)
Bob Hilliard has led HMG to the forefront of national trial law firms. Having tried over 100 jury rials, Mr. Hilliard is a two-time winner of the National Law Journal’s prestigious Elite Trial Lawyer of the Year award, as well as being recognized as a Super Lawyer for the past 18 years. Mr. Hilliard is double board certified and recognized as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in the United States. In the past six months, HMG’s 40-lawyer firm has already secured over 100 million dollars in verdicts and settlements. For more information visit https://www.hmglawfirm.com.
ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorny Ben Crump as 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 https://www.bencrump.com.