Okay, it looks like the BBC got part of that story wrong. Here's what happened AFAICT.
- Pig shoots and kills a teenager and an innocent bystander during a domestic disturbance call in Chicago on 12/26/15.
- The deceased teenager's estate files a wrongful death case against the pig and his employer, the City of Chicago, in an Illinois state court.
- On February 5, 2016, the pig filed a counterclaim in the wrongful death case against the estate.
In most states -- Illinois included, apparently -- a personal injury claim survives the death of the tortfeasor and can be brought against the tortfeasor's estate. That's what's going on here. The pig is alleging that he was injured as a result of the teenager's tortious conduct. The pig is demanding damages against the teenager's estate; he's not making claims against members of the teenager's family.
Rules of civil procedure typically provide that if you get sued and you have a claim against the plaintiff arising out of the same transaction or occurrence, you have to bring your claim as a counterclaim in the plaintiff's lawsuit, or forego your claim altogether. The idea behind compulsory counterclaims is to avoid piecemeal adjudication of claims based on the same facts.
The pig's counterclaim is available
here. He's asserting three tort claims:
- Assault (intent to cause harmful contact or apprehension of harmful contact + present ability to cause harmful contact + apprehension)
- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (extreme and outrageous conduct causing severe emotional distress)
- Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress (breach of duty placing the plaintiff in physical danger and causing severe emotional distress)
It doesn't appear that the teenager ever made physical contact with the pig, but the pig is claiming emotional distress. He's demanding $50,000 in actual damages and $10 million in punitive damages.
So yeah, it makes perfect sense from a civil procedure standpoint. Of course, that doesn't make this anything other than the bitchiest, most pussified move in the history of pussified bitch moves.