VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A federal judge has ordered the payout of attorneys’ fees and costs from the Donovon Lynch wrongful death settlement, after months of legal back-and-forth over the high-profile lawsuit.
Lynch, 25, was shot and killed by a Virginia Beach police officer during a chaotic night at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in 2021. While a grand jury did not find probable cause to charge the officer who shot Lynch, his father, Wayne Lynch filed a federal $50 million wrongful death lawsuit, which the City of Virginia Beach later offered $3 million to settle.
New court filings show the pay structure mirrors that of the originally agreed-upon settlement from December 2022, where the City of Virginia Beach would pay Lynch, who in turn would pay his legal representatives. Current attorneys for Lynch's father have contested the legal fees and costs associated with the settlement agreement, stemming from Lynch changing his legal representation several times as the lawsuit unfolded.
Court documents previously show Wayne Lynch's newest attorneys sought to reduce the total amount owed to previously hired Anchor Legal Group, as well as attorneys Justin Fairfax and Thomas Martin, who reached the settlement agreement with the City of Virginia Beach.