In a powerful turn of events nearly four years after Fred Williams III was fatally shot by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy, a Superior Court judge has granted his family a new trial, tossing out a previous jury verdict that cleared the county of wrongdoing.

      The June 9 ruling marks a major victory for Williams’ parents, Fred Williams Jr. and Kenyata Lott, who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Los Angeles County and Deputy Adrian Ines following the October 2020 shooting in Willowbrook. A jury had previously ruled 9-3 in favor of the county, but the judge found that repeated misconduct by the county’s legal team—ranging from inflammatory gang references to unfounded insinuations about Williams’ past—denied the family a fair trial. Among the most egregious violations: asking jurors to imagine themselves in the deputy’s position, a tactic prohibited under what’s known as the “Golden Rule,” and falsely suggesting Williams was connected to a double homicide with no supporting evidence.

      “This ruling sends a clear message: you don’t get to win a trial by playing dirty,” said Carl Douglas, a prominent civil rights attorney representing the family. “Fred Williams III deserved justice. Now his family will get a fair chance to fight for it.”

      The ruling comes amid years of pain, protest, and persistence from Williams’ family. Despite video evidence showing Williams fleeing and being shot in the back while standing on a shed, the district attorney’s office declined to bring criminal charges against the deputy involved. A coroner’s inquest months later saw key law enforcement figures decline to testify, adding to the family’s frustration. Tuesday’s decision, however, brings renewed hope. “This is not just a legal victory—it’s a moral one,” said attorney Rachel P. Jacobs. “Our clients deserve a fair trial, and now they’ll finally get one.”

      A case management conference is scheduled for August 12, when a new trial date is expected to be set. For the Williams family, it’s a long-awaited step forward in a battle they’ve vowed never to stop fighting.