TACOMA, Wash. — A former Tacoma police officer acquitted in the death of Manuel Ellis has filed a $47 million claim against the City of Tacoma and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, alleging defamation and racial discrimination.
Timothy Rankine alleges that since June 2020, he has suffered from “politically motivated, false accusations of racial bias policing and criminal misconduct,” according to his claim. The City of Tacoma said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in police custody after he was beaten, hogtied and struck with a Taser by officers in March 2020. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office determined Ellis died from oxygen deprivation due to the “constellation of restraint methods” used against him by police.
Rankine, a 36-year-old Asian American man, testified during the 10-week trial that he knelt on Ellis' back while he was handcuffed and face down in order to control Ellis and that he heard Ellis say, "I can't breathe."
After a jury deliberated for two-and-a-half days in December 2023, Rankine was found not guilty of first-degree manslaughter. Two other former Tacoma officers, Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, were also acquitted on murder and manslaughter charges.
All three former officers voluntarily resigned from the Tacoma Police Department after the trial, receiving $500,000 each and "in good standing," KING 5 previously reported.
Rankine alleges elected officials and employees made statements to the public “wrongfully and falsely accusing me of criminal misconduct," which destroyed his reputation and ruined his ability to work in the past and in the future, according to his claim.
Claims filed by his wife, Katherine Chinn, seek $12 million and allege she suffered emotional damage, damage to her marriage and personal safety risks. She claims Attorney General Ferguson incited "racially motivated hatred towards my husband and his work as a law enforcement officer ... using politically motivated false statements and criminal prosecution of my husband for conduct that was not true," according to her claim.
The claims, totaling $47 million, were submitted April 24 to the Tacoma city clerk’s office. The couple's claims against the attorney general, seeking the same amount, were received on April 26.
A claim is the first step in taking action to sue the state and is submitted to the State Office of Risk Management. If a claim is not resolved by the office, it can refer the claim to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office for investigation.
The Attorney General’s Office declined to comment on the claims.
Both Rankine and Chinn are represented by attorney Joan Mell of 3 Branches Law, based in Fircrest. Mell did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.