The family of Iryna Zarutska has filed a lawsuit against the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and a private transit security contractor, one year after her killing drew national attention.
The wrongful-death lawsuit claims “systemic failures” made Charlotte’s light-rail system dangerously exposed to violence.
“This case arises from the preventable death of Iryna Zarutska,” states the complaint filed against the City of Charlotte and Professional Police Services Inc., which does business as Professional Security Services, or PSS. The claims in the lawsuit have not been adjudicated.
“What it shows is the systemic failures that have been within the CATS system for years that the city has been aware of,” Lauren Newton, an attorney for Zarutska’s family and estate, previously told WBTV.
According to the lawsuit, no security guard was on board the Lynx Blue Line train when Zarutska was fatally stabbed on Aug. 22, 2025. The complaint also accuses PSS of failing to properly staff and assign both armed and unarmed security personnel across the transit system.
Charlotte’s amended agreement with PSS allocated funding for 219 security employees for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, the complaint says. At the time Zarutska was killed, the lawsuit alleges, PSS had hired 183.
The filing also claims PSS employed only 11 armed guards, even though the contract allowed for as many as 39 armed security personnel.
“They weren’t fully staffed,” Newton told WBTV. “If there had been a security guard on that train, Iryna Zarutska would be here.”
Her assertion that a guard would have prevented Zarutska’s death has not been established in court.
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The complaint also takes aim at fare enforcement, alleging Zarutska’s accused killer, Decarlos Brown Jr., rode CATS transportation without paying before the attack.
It alleges there were no physical barriers preventing non-ticketed riders 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 lawsuit alleges Charlotte and PSS knew or should have known about the Blue Line and its stops had repeatedly been the site of criminal activity before Zarutska’s death.
“Violent crime was absolutely foreseeable,” Newton told WBTV.
The estate brings claims including wrongful death based on allegedly negligent and inadequate security and gross negligence.
It seeks damages exceeding $25,000 and punitive damages against PSS, but not against Charlotte.
“The family doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else’s loved one,” Newton previously told WBTV.
Fox News Digital separately reached out to PSS and Newton for comment but did not receive immediate responses.
The City of Charlotte informed Fox News Digital it does not provide comment on active litigation.
