Federal judge dismisses Shanquella Robinson wrongful death lawsuit against FBI, State Department
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A federal judge Friday dismissed the wrongful death lawsuit made by the family of Shanquella Robinson against a pair of federal agencies.
The FBI and State Department had motioned to dismiss the suit in January due to the alleged lack of jurisdiction over claims made against them. Robinson's estate made the amended claims in November 2024 seeking damages from the agencies based on their alleged negligence in relation to her 2022 death in Mexico.
The estate also sought immediate release of related records from the FBI.
PREVIOUS: Robinson's family pushes for case to be heard in U.S.
Robinson, a Charlotte woman, died while vacationing with friends at a resort in Cabo San Lucas. Court documents show the autopsy report done in Mexico showed the cause of death was a severe spinal cord injury and neck trauma. However, when her body was returned home, a second autopsy by the FBI contradicted the report.
In November 2022, the FBI informed Robinson's mother, Sallamondra, 'that it opened an investigation into the murder,' but in April 2023 told Sallamondra, her family and the public that the agency was no longer pursuing federal prosecution of the Cabo Six.
In Friday's ruling, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. agrees with the agencies argument that the family's Freedom of Information Act claim against the FBI and State Department must be dismissed because 'this Court lacks derivative jurisdiction over Plaintiff's FOIA claim.'
'Because the North Carolina court 'never acquired jurisdiction over either the subject matter [FOIA claim] or the [FBI] as a United States agency,' this Court 'can acquire none from the removal under NC Statute 1442.'
The Robinson family still has a civil lawsuit against the members of the Cabo Six, accuses them of lying about Shanquella's death and trying to cover it up. They are pushing for this case to be heard in the United States.
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