The family of Iryna Zarutska has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and its private transit security contractor, one year after her fatal stabbing on a light-rail train shocked the nation. The complaint, which seeks damages exceeding $25,000 alongside punitive damages against the security firm, alleges that systemic safety failures within the Charlotte Area Transit System left the network dangerously vulnerable.
The wrongful-death lawsuit brought against the City of Charlotte and Professional Police Services Inc. — operating as Professional Security Services, or PSS — maintains that not a single security guard was present on the Lynx Blue Line train during the fatal attack on Zarutska on August 22, 2025. Lauren Newton, an attorney representing Zarutska’s family and estate, previously told WBTV that the city had been aware of chronic vulnerabilities within the transit network for years.
“This case arises from the preventable death of Iryna Zarutska,” the legal filing states. The allegations have not yet been adjudicated in court.
Staffing Shortages and Contractual Gaps
The lawsuit targets PSS for failing to adequately staff and deploy armed and unarmed personnel across the transit system. The legal complaint points out that Charlotte’s revised agreement with PSS allocated resources for 219 security workers across fiscal years 2025 and 2026, though the contractor had only brought on 183 employees by the time the homicide occurred.
Furthermore, the filing alleges that PSS employed just 11 armed guards despite a contractual provision allowing for up to 39 armed personnel. “They weren’t fully staffed,” Newton told WBTV in previous statements. “If there had been a security guard on that train, Iryna Zarutska would be here.” That assertion remains to be tested in court.
Fare Enforcement and Foreseeability of Crime
Beyond personnel numbers, the lawsuit points to lax oversight at station turnstiles and platforms. The complaint alleges that Zarutska’s accused attacker, Decarlos Brown Jr., boarded the transit system without paying a fare prior to the assault. It notes an absence of physical barriers preventing non-ticketed individuals from accessing the light rail.
“There’s been literally no fare enforcement and those things, at a basic level, are what’s necessary for safety. And there’s been none of that,” Newton told WBTV.
The legal action asserts that both Charlotte and PSS knew or should have known that the Blue Line corridor and its stations had repeatedly experienced criminal incidents prior to the Ukrainian refugee’s death. “Violent crime was absolutely foreseeable,” Newton stated.
The estate’s claims encompass wrongful death based on allegedly negligent and inadequate security, as well as gross negligence, targeting PSS for punitive damages while seeking general damages from the city under statutory limits. Decarlos Brown Jr. was charged in the killing but was subsequently declared unfit to stand trial.
Fox News Digital reached out to PSS and Newton for comment without receiving immediate responses. The City of Charlotte stated that it does not provide comment on active litigation.
Worth a look
