Jury Grants $2 Million in Wrongful Death Case Involving Political Donor Ed Buck
Jury Awards $2 Million in Wrongful Death Case Against Ed Buck
A jury awarded $2 million to the plaintiffs in a civil trial against prominent political donor Ed Buck, concluding a brief trial that began Monday. The unanimous verdict, delivered Wednesday, found Buck liable for the 2017 drug overdose death of Gemmel Moore, and the damages were awarded to Moore’s mother, LaTisha Nixon.
Buck, 71, is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence following his 2021 conviction on nine felony counts related to the overdose deaths of Moore and another man in his West Hollywood apartment. The civil lawsuit stemmed from Nixon’s claims that Buck engaged in unlawful and negligent conduct resulting in her son’s death.
"This verdict doesn’t bring him back, but it gives me some peace knowing someone was finally held accountable for what happened to Gemmel," Nixon stated, expressing her grief. She argued that Buck’s actions constituted wrongful death, sexual battery, assault, hate violence based on her son’s race, human trafficking, and revenge porn.
Buck’s defense contended that Moore was a long-time drug user and friend who voluntarily participated in the activities at Buck’s home. In a criminal case, evidence indicated that Buck targeted young Black men facing homelessness or addiction, inviting them for "party and play" sessions where he would inject them with methamphetamine, often without their consent.
The jury reached its verdict on July 27, 2021—the fourth anniversary of Moore’s death—after deliberating for less than a day.
Additionally, Buck faces another civil trial in Santa Monica regarding the estate of Dane Brown, who survived multiple overdoses at Buck’s residence but was found dead in South Los Angeles in November 2024.
A news conference was scheduled for Wednesday evening with the plaintiff’s attorneys to discuss the implications of the verdict and further legal proceedings.
