| King family v. Jowers and other unknown co-conspirators | |
|---|---|
| Court | The Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tennessee Thirtieth Judicial District at Memphis, Tennessee |
| Full case name | Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King, III, Bernice King, Dexter Scott King, and Yolanda King Plaintiffs, v. Loyd Jowers, and other unknown co-conspirators, Defendants. |
| Started | November 15, 1999 |
| Decided | December 8, 1999 |
| Verdict | Jury unanimously found Jowers and other unknown co-conspirators (including government agencies) liable of conspiring to assassinate Martin Luther King, Jr. and frame James Earl Ray as a patsy |
| Case history | |
| Subsequent action | King family awarded $100 ($182.9 today) they had requested in damages |
| Court membership | |
| Judge sitting | James E. Swearengen |
| Case opinions | |
| Decision by | Jury verdict |
The Loyd Jowers trial, known as King family v. Jowers and other unknown co-conspirators, was an American wrongful death lawsuit brought to trial by the family of Martin Luther King Jr. against Loyd Jowers. The family filed the lawsuit after Jowers admitted in an interview on PrimeTime Live that he had been part of a conspiracy to assassinate the civil rights leader in 1968. The trial occurred in late 1999. The jury unanimously agreed that there was a conspiracy perpetrated by Jowers and other parties, including various government agencies, to murder King and frame James Earl Ray as a patsy.[1][2]