The Estate of Malcolm X has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, CIA, and NYPD, alleging their direct involvement in the civil rights leader’s 1965 assassination. The announcement came during a press conference on Friday, November 16 featuring prominent civil rights attorneys and Ilyasah Shabazz, administrator of the estate.
Attorney Ben Crump, lead counsel for the estate, announced they have uncovered new evidence over three years of investigation. “The government fingerprints are all over the assassination of Malcolm X,” Crump declared, “and finally we believe we have the evidence to prove it.”
Attorney Flint Taylor, who previously represented Fred Hampton’s estate, emphasized the broader implications of the case: “This is an international human rights case it’s not just a civil rights case.” He drew parallels between Malcolm X’s assassination and other government surveillance programs, noting that “COINTELPRO was designed by J Edgar Hoover and the FBI to secretly disrupt and yes destroy Black organizations.”
The lawsuit reveals new evidence, including testimony from Mustafa Hassan, who was present during the assassination. Attorney Ray Hamlin questioned why Hassan was never interviewed by authorities: “Why would it be that no one for almost 57 years never heard from him never spoke to him never took a statement from him?”
The legal team disclosed that nine undercover police officers were present in the Audubon Theater during the assassination. They also revealed evidence about Raymond Wood, an undercover NYPD officer who allegedly entrapped Malcolm X’s security team members the week before the assassination.
Attorney Nashir highlighted Malcolm X’s prescient words from a January 1965 CBC interview: “We believe that our problem is not a violation of civil rights but of Human Rights. Not only are we denied the right to be a citizen in the United States, we are denied the right to be a human being.”
Ilyasah Shabazz, administrator of the estate, described how their home was firebombed just a week before the assassination. “My mother was pregnant when she came here to see her husband speak… and to witness this horrific assassination,” she said, describing how her mother, a registered nurse, attempted to save Malcolm X’s life at the scene.
Attorney Jonathan Moore emphasized the historic significance of the case: “This is in a sense about a reparations case this is about remedying a wrong that happened many years ago that has not been dealt with by the federal government or the city government.”
The lawsuit follows the 2021 exoneration of two men wrongfully convicted for Malcolm X’s murder. The legal team pledges to “turn over every Rock… open up every drawer… look at every file to get the truth about what happened to Malcolm X,” as Moore stated.
The complaint includes nine specific claims, ranging from excessive force to fraudulent concealment, seeking both compensatory and punitive damages. The legal team argues that government agencies not only orchestrated the assassination but actively concealed their involvement for nearly 60 years.
As the case moves forward, the estate seeks not just monetary compensation but, as Ilyasah Shabazz stated, ensuring “that the truth will be recorded in history.”