$21.5MM Verdict
Estate of Riebe v. King County et. al.
Karin Riebe loved her son, unconditionally. She was just 18 when he was born, and she raised him as a single mother. Their relationship was always close. As Shawn entered adulthood the relatively small age gap between mother and son transformed their relationship into one that was symbiotic—Karin depended on Shawn and Shawn depended on Karin.
Unfortunately, Shawn had demons. At 18, he joined the military and was deployed abroad several times. What he saw and what he did in wartime transformed him. He came home very different than when he left. He hallucinated, became paranoid and unaware of what he was doing or saying. And when he was in those dark places, he’d take out his handgun.
On September 14, 2021, Shawn’s behavior reached its worst point ever. Karin tried to get him mental health help, but he refused. Then early that morning, he retrieved his handgun, loaded it in front of his mom, and demanded she get out of their shared home. Karin called 911 and told them what had happened.
The police treated the call as a mental health issue, not a crime. They told Karin they could not do anything to help her. And then they drove her back close to her home, suggested she give Shawn time to “cool off,” and closed the call.
Mental Health Crisis teams were not deployed because Shawn was armed.
But clearly, Shawn needed professional help. And so did Karin.
Shawn’s behavior continued to escalate over the next few hours. Neighbors called 911 to report him yelling, destroying property, and hanging out the window. He was still armed with the gun.
Karin stayed out of her home for over five hours. She returned at 1:30 pm. All was quiet. Shawn was no longer yelling or hanging out the window. Karin opened her garage and slowly walked through the garage. But Shawn was there to meet her. He fired 12 bullets at his mother, striking her seven times. Karin died alone in her garage, propped up against moving boxes. Shawn was arrested. He had no recollection of the incident. Somebody in jail had to tell him he had killed his mother.
Karin had six siblings. And each has struggled in a different way with how to understand and reconcile what their nephew did. They have also had to grieve the sudden and violent loss of their sister. The fabric of this family was torn in so many ways. How do you begin to process how your sister died?
After a four-week bench trial, a court awarded $21.5 million in damages for the loss of Karin’s life, the profound suffering she endured in her final moments, and the loss her siblings have suffered by her absence.
The Estate of Karin Riebe alleged and argued that King County was at fault in their handling of the multiple domestic violence reports involving Karin and her son that day. The court however placed full responsibility on her son, remarking that this was a case that needed to be tried, to raise critical shortcomings in our systems.
And we agree. Karin called for help the morning of September 14th. She did not get help. Apparently, her situation did not “fit” the rules. And so she was turned away by the very systems that were designed to protect our safety.
We knew this was a difficult case. But we also hoped that trying this case in a public forum would shed light on the inadequacies of our systems.
What happened should not have happened. Karin called for help—multiple times. She did not receive help.
“We are privileged and honored to have stood up for what’s right and fought hard for the justice Karin and her family deserved. We hope that this case sheds light on some of the blind spots of our laws and policies that govern law enforcement response to domestic violence and mental health crises. We always hope for accountability at trial, but we also hope for change, and trial is a vehicle for change.” – Lisa Benedetti
The Plaintiffs were represented by:
Attorneys in trial: Gemma Zanowski, Lisa Benedetti