Benjamin Lloyd Crump was born inLumberton, North Carolina, nearFort Bragg.[13] The oldest of nine siblings and step-siblings, Crump grew up in an extended family and was raised by his grandmother.[14] His mother, Helen, worked as a hotel maid and in a localConverse shoe factory.[15] His mother sent him to attendSouth Plantation High School inPlantation, Florida, where he lived with her second husband, a math teacher, whom Crump regards as his father.[16]
Crump also represented Ronald Weekley Jr., a 20-year-old African-American skateboarder beaten by police inVenice, California in 2012.[21]
Crump also represented the family of Alesia Thomas, a 35-year-old African-American woman who died while in police custody in August 2012.[22] JournalistChuck Philips reported that during the arrest by LAPD Officer Mary O'Callaghan, Thomas was "slammed to the ground, handcuffed behind her back, kicked in the groin, hog-tied and stuffed into the back seat of a patrol car, where she died."[23] Crump demanded thatdashboard video of the incident be released, threatening legal action and encouraging Attorney GeneralEric Holder to launch a federal probe.[23][24] In October 2013, one of the arresting officers was charged with felony assault of Thomas, pleading not guilty.[25] Judge Shelly Torrealba signed off on a request by the district attorney's office only to release the video to prosecutors and defense attorneys. This was to prevent the tainting of potentialjury candidates, O'Callaghan's attorney Robert Rico said.[26]
On August 11, 2014, the family ofMichael Brown announced that they would be hiring Crump to represent their case, especially as the death had been widely compared to the Trayvon Martin case.[27][28][29] Also in 2014, Crump was initially hired to represented the family ofTamir Rice, an African-American youth who was killed by police inCleveland, Ohio, while holding a toy gun.[30] Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice has criticized Crump and stated that she fired him 6–8 months into Tamir's case. One reason was that she felt it was questionable whether Benjamin Crump knew the laws in the state ofOhio.[31]
In 2015, Crump represented the family ofAntonio Zambrano-Montes, anundocumented immigrant from Mexico who was killed by three policemen inPasco, Washington.[32] Also in 2015, he represented the family ofKendrick Johnson, an African-American high-school student who was found dead at his school inValdosta,Georgia, under mysterious circumstances, but stepped down from their legal team in late 2015.[33][34] In late 2015, Crump began representing the family ofCorey Jones, who was killed by a plainclothes officer while waiting for a tow truck in South Florida.[35][36]
In 2016, Crump began representing the family of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man shot and killed by a Tulsa police officer.[37][38]
In 2017, Crump announced the opening of a new law firm, Ben Crump Law, PLLC.[citation needed]
In 2018, Crump represented the family ofZeke Upshaw in a wrongful death suit after Upshaw, anNBA G League player, collapsed mid-game and was delayed assistance by the NBA's paramedics.[39] Also in 2018 he became a board member for theNational Black Justice Coalition.[40]
In 2019, Crump partnered with law firm Pintas & Mullins to hold several rallies inFlint, Michigan for communities affected by theFlint water crisis.[4] Also in 2019, Crump began representing several plaintiffs in a lawsuit againstJohnson & Johnson alleging that the company'stalc powder was directly related to said-plaintiffs'ovarian cancer diagnoses.[3]
In early 2020, Crump began working with the family ofAhmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-oldAfrican-American man murdered by two White civilians.[41] Around this same time, the family of police shooting-victimBreonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman, retained Crump for the family's lawsuit alleging excessive force and gross negligence by theLouisville Metro Police Department.[42] Taylor was killed after police entered her apartment after obtaining a flawed "no-knock warrant" and shot Taylor eight times.[42]
After the death of 46-year oldGeorge Floyd in May 2020, Crump began representing his family.[43] George Floydwas murdered byMinneapolis Police Department officerDerek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes.[43] At the time, Floyd was unarmed and exclaimed to Chauvin and other deputies "I can't breathe".[43] Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter; however, an additional second-degree murder charge was added 10 days later, and the three officers also present at the scene were subsequently charged with "aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter."[44] In April 2021, Chauvin wasconvicted on all three charges. In June 2020, Crump testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about the George Floyd case and the discriminatory treatment of African Americans by the U.S. justice system.
In a two-day span in late August 2020, Crump was among counsel retained to represent the families ofTrayford Pellerin, a 31-year-old African American man killed by police inLafayette, Louisiana,[45] andJacob Blake, a 29-year-old African-American man shot at seven times (hit four times in the back) by a police officer inKenosha, Wisconsin, while his children watched from the car.[46] Crump retained Patrick A. Salvi Sr & Jr as co-counsel.[47]
In October 2020, Crump and Attorney Robert Cox won a historic $411 million jury verdict in a catastrophic trucking accident case. The trial was conducted over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic.[48]
In early 2021, Crump began representing the family of nineteen-year-oldChristian Hall, who was shot and killed byPennsylvania State Troopers inMonroe County. Hall was shot and killed in December 2020 on the overpass to Interstate 80 in Hamilton Township after reports of a suicidal man with a gun on the bridge. Troopers said that at one point during negotiations, Hall was uncooperative and pointed the gun in the direction of officers. State Police then shot and killed Hall. Attorneys for the family, including Crump, stated that a video circulating online shows a different story.[49]
In April 2021, Crump began representing the family ofDaunte Wright, a 20-year-old African American shot and killed by aBrooklyn Center Police Department officer. Former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said that the officer intended to use her taser but inadvertently drew her handgun.[50] On December 23, 2021, aHennepin County, Minnesota jury found the officer who shot him, Kimberly Potter, guilty of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter.[51] On October 3, 2022, nearly 18 months after the April 11, 2021 police-involved fatal shooting of 20-year-oldDaunte Demetrius Wright in Minneapolis, the Wright family and the office of Benjamin Crump were served a lawsuit by Chyna Whitaker, Wright's son's mother. Whitaker filed the suit overGoFundMe proceeds she said were to go to her.[52] A spokesperson for attorney Ben Crump told the press, "This is strictly a family dispute between the mother of Daunte Wright's child and Daunte's parents."[53]
Following theAstroworld Festival crowd crush, Crump is representing a concertgoer, Noah Gutierrez, in a lawsuit againstTravis Scott. Crump said in a statement, "We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced — the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying unsuccessfully to save them."[54]
In December 2021, Crump began representing the parents of a 14-year-old girl, Valentina Orellana-Peralta, who was fatally shot in a Los Angeles department store—a round aimed byL.A. Police Department response team at an assaulter ricocheted off the floor. It passed through the wall of a dressing room where she and her mother had taken refuge, causing her death.[55]
Crump began representingAmir Locke's family in February 2022. Locke was shot and killed by theMinneapolis Police Department on February 2, 2022, while police were executing a search warrant.[56]
In April 2022, Crump took on the case ofPatrick Lyoya ofGrand Rapids, Michigan, who was killed by Officer Christopher Schurra, a police officer from the Grand Rapids Police Department, who shot Lyoya in the back of the head after Lyola fled a traffic stop. Lyoya was unarmed.[57]
In May 2022, Crump was retained by the families of Andre Mackneil, Geraldine Talley, and RuthWhitfield, three victims of the2022 Buffalo shooting on May 14. That same month, Crump took on the case ofRwandan politicianPaul Rusesabagina, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Rwandan government.[58]
The family of Randy Cox retained Crump in June 2022, when Cox, who was traveling in a police van without a seatbelt when the driver slammed on the brakes, sending Cox into a metal partition head first. Cox was paralyzed from the chest down as a result of his injuries. The officers were fired without compensation for behaving "recklessly and without compassion."[59] The five officers were caught on police body camera mocking Cox after he hit his head and proceeded to drag him out of the vehicle, and place him in a holding cell. The case for which Cox was initially arrested was later dismissed. In 2023, a $45 million verdict was reached with the City of New Haven, Connecticut.[59]
In October 2022, Crump was retained by the family ofErik Cantu.[60] The 17-year-old was shot by aSan Antonio Police Department officer while eating a hamburger in his car at a McDonald's parking lot. In December 2022, Crump was hired by Emily Proulx, a passenger of Cantu's during the shooting.[61]
In January 2023, Crump began representing the family ofEarl Moore Jr. in a wrongful death lawsuit against two Illinois paramedics, along with ambulance service company LifeStar. Moore died on December 18, 2022, as a result ofasphyxiation after he was strapped face down to a stretcher while in medical distress. The paramedics, Peter Cadigan and Peggy Finley, were charged with first-degree murder in January 2023.[62]
Also in January 2023, Crump announced he would represent the family ofTyre Nichols, who died on January 10, three days after a traffic stop, when fiveMemphis, Tennesseepolice officers tried to arrest Nichols for alleged reckless driving. During the incident, the officers beat Nichols, and he was taken to the hospital after he reported he had shortness of breath.[63]
In April 2023, Crump began representing the family ofRalph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black teenager shot for ringing the doorbell of the wrong house. The shooter was an 84-year-old White man and the owner of the house.[64]
In May 2023, Crump represented the family ofEd Townsend, songwriter of"Let's Get It On", in suingEd Sheeran, songwriter of "Thinking Out Loud." The plaintiffs claimed that elements of "Thinking Out Loud" were taken from "Let's Get It On" without permission. The case was decided in Sheeran's favor on May 4, 2023.[65]
In June 2023, Crump began representing the family ofAjike Owens, who was shot through her locked front door and killed by a white neighbor after the neighbor got into an argument with her children in a nearby field.[66] The shooter was found guilty of first-degree felony manslaughter and sentenced to 25 years in prison in November 2024.[67]
In February 2024, Crump began representing Eboni Pouncy in a case againstHarris County sheriff's deputies. Pouncy was shot multiple times inside her apartment after deputies responded to a call about an intruder at a neighboring unit. Body camera footage captured the incident, which Crump has stated "should have never happened."[69][70]
In April 2024, Crump began representing the family of 16-year-old Kaleiah Jones in a wrongful death suit againstNewport News Public Schools, theCity of Newport News, and several members ofMenchville High School's staff, including school nurse Turkan Tillotson;school resource officer Isiah Washington; Principal Lisa Egolf; Assistant Principals Diamond Gee and William Huffstetler; teacher Lisa Molineaux; and three unnamed school security officers. Jones, an African American sophomore withbradycardia andLong QT syndrome, died on February 20, 2024, after passing out at school. According to the lawsuit, she was left without critical medical care for 16 minutes, even though the school had been previously informed of Jones' health conditions and recent surgery.[71][72][73]
In May 2024, the family ofRoger Fortson hired Crump to represent them after Fortson was killed.[74] Fortson was a 23-year-old Black U.S. Air Force airman who was shot and killed by police in hisFort Walton Beach apartment.[75] The body camera footage of this was released.[76] According to Crump, a witness statement claimed that police entered the wrong apartment.[77]
In June 2024, the family ofD'vontaye Mitchell retained Crump after Mitchell died following an altercation with Hyatt Regency hotel security.[78] Witness footage shows four security officers holding him down on his stomach. Crump referenced the video in a press conference with the family, saying the security officers are to be blamed for his death and that he will help the family seek justice.[78] On August 2, the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.[79] By August 6, prosecutors charged four hotel employees with felony murder.[80]
In July 2024, Crump began representing the family ofSonya Massey following her July 6 shooting death by a deputy of theSangamon County Sheriff's Office inSpringfield, Illinois.[81] Massey was allegedly shot and killed by deputy Sean Grayson in her home following a 911 call that she placed to report a "prowler."[82] Grayson was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, among other charges,[83] and pled not guilty.[84]
In October 2024, Crump began representing the family ofAmber Thurman following her 2022 death at Georgia's Piedmont Henry Hospital.[85] Thurman obtained abortion pills while in North Carolina, and upon returning to Georgia, Thurman experienced complications from remaining fetal tissue.[86] Though recent Georgia law criminalized with few exceptions the life-saving treatment that Thurman needed, doctors still waited 20 hours to begin a surgical intervention, but by then, it was too late.[87] LaterProPublica investigations stated that Thurman's death was "preventable."[87] A Georgia judge later struck down the state's 6-week abortion ban.[88] In the wake of this decision, Vice PresidentKamala Harris said "[Amber Thurman] should be alive today."[88]
In November 2024, the family ofBotham Jean received a $98.65 million jury verdict in a federal civil lawsuit against former Dallas police officer Amber Guyer.[89] Botham Jean was killed in his apartment in 2018 when Guyer, who was off-duty, "mistook" his apartment for her own, despite Jean's apartment being one floor above her own.[89] Guyer entered Jean's apartment and shot and killed him while Jean was eating a bowl of ice cream on his couch.[89] Guyer was charged with murder in 2019.[89] Crump, who led the effort for the nearly 100 million dollar verdict, said, "This verdict stands as a powerful testament to Botham’s life and the profound injustice of his death. This case laid bare critical issues of racial bias and police accountability that cannot be ignored. Today’s verdict sends a clear message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes cannot be insulated from the consequences of their actions."[90]
In December 2024, the family of Tyre Sampson received a $310 million jury verdict.[91] 14-year-old Sampson died in 2022 after a fall from an amusement park ride atIcon Park in Orlando, Florida.[91]
In the wake of theSouthern California wildfires, Crump was retained by the family of Evelyn Cathirell, a woman who died in theEaton fire inAltadena.[92] The wrongful death suit (the first one filed in response to the fires) was filed on January 15, 2025, againstSouthern California Edison, a utility company, for allegedly failing to “de-energize all its transmission towers” or clear vegetation before the anticipated winds hit Eaton.[92]
In January 2025, Crump was retained by the family of Chelsea Adolphus, a woman who died at Vista Medical Center East inWaukegan, IL.[93] Adolphus was admitted to Vista Medical Center East on January 22, and very soonafter was found unresponsive on the rooftop of the hospital. She was pronounced dead around 11:00 p.m. on January 23.[93] The Lake County Coroner's found that the preliminary cause of death washypothermia.[93]
In May 2025, Crump helped to secured a $4 billion settlement fromLos Angeles County to compensate generations of child sex abuse victims.[94] The 6,800 victims were in Los Angeles County-run foster care homes or juvenile facilities with abuse occurring as far back as 1959.[94] The settlement is one of the largest of its kind, surpassing the $2.4 billion proposed settlement for a suit brought against theBoy Scouts of America for 80,000 plaintiffs.[95]
In 2021, Crump andChristopher Seeger announced that they would be representing members of the family ofHenrietta Lacks in a lawsuit against several pharmaceutical companies that have profited from the cell lineHeLa, which is based on cervical cancer cells taken from Lacks without her knowledge in 1951,[96] when it was not illegal to do so. The family of Lacks came to a confidential settlement withThermo Fisher Scientific Inc. in July 2023.[97]
In November 2024, Crump filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the family ofMalcolm X, a preeminent black civil rights leader in the 20th century, who was assassinated in 1965.[98]
The $100 million lawsuit accuses theFBI,CIA andNew York Police Department of conspiring and failing to intervene in his assassination plot.[98] The lawsuit alleges an "unconstitutional" relationship between the killers and law enforcement.[98] The NYPD intentionally removed their officers from theAudubon Ballroom the day that Malcolm X was killed.[98] The FBI agents who were in the ballroom failed to intervene in the assassination.[98] During a press conference on November 15, Crump said that he hoped that law enforcement would "learn all the dastardly deeds that were done by their predecessors and try to right these historic wrongs."[99]
Crump has been vocal about issues of racial equality, police brutality, and police reform, among others.[100] He testified before Congress regarding policing practices and police accountability, advocating for mandatory police body cameras, the outlaw of chokehold and stranglehold, and for changes to the qualified immunity standard.[101]
In April 2017, Crump appeared as himself on the Americanreality prime-timecourt showYou the Jury. Later, in December 2017, Crump investigated the murder ofTupac Shakur in the television documentary seriesWho Killed Tupac? The show narrates an investigation led by Crump, who works with Tupac's brother,Mopreme Shakur.[102]
In 2018, Crump hosted a documentary television series onTV One calledEvidence of Innocence.[103] The show focused on people who served at least a decade behind bars after being wrongfully convicted of a crime. Crump hoped to "impact the larger society about these larger matters so they can be aware when they go into the courtroom as jurors."[104]
On June 19, 2022, Netflix commemoratedJuneteenth with the release ofCivil: Ben Crump. ANetflix original, the documentary film is produced byKenya Barris and directed by Nadia Hallgren.[105] In July 2023,Civil was nominated for anEmmy Award.[106]
In 2024, Crump produced the 35-minute film “How to Sue the Klan.”[108] The film covers the 1980 Ku Klux Klan shooting of five black women inChattanooga, Tennessee.[109] Two of the men involved in the shooting were acquitted, and a third man was sentenced to nine months in prison, but got out in six.[109] After public outcry, theCenter for Constitutional Rights picked up the case and filed a federal civil lawsuit.[109] The court awarded $1.5 million (adjusted for inflation) to the five women, and the verdict included an injunction against all Klan activities in the city of Chattanooga.[109]How to Sue the Klan premiered on February 9, 2024, at the Walker Theatre inChattanooga, Tennessee.[108] It was met with critical acclaim, and went on to win best short documentary at theHarlem International Film Festival, best documentary short at the Roxbury International Film Festival, and best documentary at the NC Black Film Festival.[109] In February 2025, the film won anNAACP Image Award.[110]
Crump was included on theTime 100,Time's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2021.[111] Lawyers of Distinction named Crump their 2021 Lawyer of the Year.[112]
In 2020, Lawyers of Color named Crump the #1 Most Influential Black Lawyer of the Decade.
In 2023, Crump was awarded the Social Impact Award at the NAACP Image Awards. Crump said In his acceptance speech, "I accept this award as greater motivation to continue to be an unapologetic defender of Black life, Black liberty, and Black humanity.”[114]
In 2024, Crump was included inForbes' inaugural list of America's Top 200 Lawyers.[115] Crump is one of the seven black lawyers included on the list.[116] Forbes describes the list as a culmination of lawyers "with a reputation for integrity [and a] record of excellence."[115]
Crump, Benjamin L. "Ben Crump — the Man Who Represented the Families of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, and Tamir Rice — Will Not Stop Fighting for Justice."[117]NowThis, June 24, 2018.
Crump, Benjamin L. "Every Black Person Has Had A 'Starbucks Moment'".[118]HuffPost, April 21, 2018.
Crump, Benjamin L. "After Stephon Clark's Death, Shock and Mourning in Communities across the Nation."[119]USA Today, March 29, 2018.
Crump, Benjamin L. "Stand Your Ground Is a License to Kill. Repeal It.[120]"Miami Herald, February 5, 2018.
Crump, Benjamin L. "Libyan Slave Trade Perpetuates The Commodification of Black Bodies.[121]"HuffPost, January 5, 2018.
Crump, Benjamin L. "Civil Rights Resolutions for a Better America in 2018".[122]CNN, January 2, 2018.
Crump, Benjamin L. "The Unsolved Murder of Tupac Shakur Speaks To The Black Male's Experience Nationwide".[123]HuffPost, December 12, 2017.
Crump, Benjamin L. "Trump's Response To Charlottesville Was Far Too Little And Way Too Late.[124]"HuffPost, August 15, 2017.
Crump, Benjamin L. "Only A Just America Will Be A Truly Great America".[125]HuffPost, January 15, 2017.
Crump, Benjamin L. "Benjamin Crump: Seven Deaths Cannot Be In Vain".[126]TIME, July 8, 2016.
Crump, Benjamin (April 20, 2015). "Will America now challenge the standard police narrative?". United States. Crime.Time. Vol. 185, no. 14 (South Pacific ed.). p. 22.
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