The family of Iryna Zarutska has filed a lawsuit against the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, and the private company hired to provide transit security, a year after her killing drew national attention. The wrongful-death case claims long-running “systemic failures” made the city’s light-rail network unsafe for riders.
“This case arises from the preventable death of Iryna Zarutska,” the complaint says, naming the City of Charlotte and Professional Police Services Inc., which does business as Professional Security Services, or PSS. The claims in the lawsuit remain allegations and have not been proven in court.
Lauren Newton, an attorney for Zarutska’s family and estate, previously told WBTV that the case points to problems inside the Charlotte Area Transit System that she says officials had known about for years. “What it shows is the systemic failures that have been within the CATS system for years that the city has been aware of,” Newton said.
Iryna Zarutska appears to shrink back in fear as a man stands over her during a disturbing attack aboard a Charlotte, N.C., light-rail train. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)
According to the lawsuit, no security officer was on board the Lynx Blue Line train when Zarutska was stabbed to death on Aug. 22, 2025. The filing accuses PSS of failing to properly staff the transit system and deploy both armed and unarmed security personnel as needed.
The complaint says Charlotte’s amended agreement with PSS funded 219 security positions for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, but alleges the company had hired only 183 people by the time Zarutska was killed. It also claims PSS had just 11 armed guards, even though the contract allowed for as many as 39 armed personnel.
Booking photo of Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., taken Sept. 14, 2022, after his arrest in Mecklenburg County. Brown, 34, is now charged in the Aug. 22, 2025, stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO))
“They weren’t fully staffed,” Newton told WBTV. “If there had been a security guard on that train, Iryna Zarutska would be here.” That claim — that the presence of a guard would have prevented Zarutska’s death — has not been established in court.
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 the Blue Line and its stops had repeatedly been the site of criminal activity before Zarutska’s death. (Omar Vega/Getty Images, File)
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.
WBTV previously reported that Charlotte said it does not comment on active litigation and that PSS had not responded to its request for comment.
“The family doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else’s loved one,” Newton previously told WBTV.
News Outlet separately reached out to Charlotte, PSS and Newton for comment but did not receive immediate responses.
