The family of a woman who drowned handcuffed in the back of a Meigs County deputy’s patrol car is seeking $100 million in damages in a new wrongful death suit.
The nine-count federal lawsuit was filed against Meigs County and the estate of the deputy who drove his patrol car into the Tennessee River on Feb. 14, 2024, with Tabitha Marie Smith, 35, handcuffed in the back seat.
Smith’s family contends her Fourth and 14th Amendment rights were violated while she was in the custody of Meigs County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert John “R.J.” Leonard, also 35, when the two drowned in the night-darkened water at the end of Blythe Ferry Lane, according to documents filed with the U.S. District Court in Chattanooga. The family is also suing under Tennessee law alleging wrongful death, battery and assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, gross negligence and loss of consortium.
The new complaint includes more incident details, including allegations the deputy at one point was driving over 100 mph before an arrest was made and sent a text to his wife 46 seconds before driving into the water, according to the documents filed in the suit. The county and the county’s employee, Leonard, had a duty to protect Smith while she was in custody, the complaint said, and the site where they died has a history of people running off the ramp into the river.
Chattanooga attorneys Robin Flores and Neil Thomas filed the new complaint Jan. 17 on behalf of Smith’s son, Nathan Alexander Smith. Troy, Michigan, attorney Alyson Oliver and Chattanooga attorney Jeffery Rufolo represent Smith’s three minor children.