The family of Grace Yoo Chan, who was imprisoned for allegedly killing her baby, has filed a civil lawsuit against law enforcement, believing her detention to be unjust.
On December 7, the Justice for Grace campaign announced the filing of a civil lawsuit against the State of New Jersey and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. Lawyer Dongmin Kim, a specialist in civil litigation in New Jersey, has agreed to represent Grace Yoo Chan’s family pro bono.
Grace’s family and Lawyer Kim met on December 4 at Kim’s office in Palisades Park, New Jersey, to finalize the lawsuit filing, following a month of discussions.
Lawyer Dongmin Kim stated that he had met with Grace Yoo Chan twice before and was convinced of her innocence after reviewing her statements and the deceased infant’s medical records.
Grace Yoo Chan has been in prison for a year and six months, accused of killing one of her twin sons born early last year. She has vehemently denied the murder charge, but prosecutors have initiated a detention investigation without bail.
“After meeting with Grace Yoo Chan in person and reviewing the relevant materials, I concluded that her detention was unreasonable,” said Kim. “It appears that they believed she could pose a threat to her other children, which led to an unreasonable procedure and caused great sadness to her family.”
In addition to representing Grace Yoo Chan’s family in the civil case, Kim will also work to secure evidence for the criminal trial, scheduled for early next year.
BY HAEUN LEE, JUNHAN PARK [lee.haeun@koreadailyny.com]
