The family of Iryna Zarutska has filed a lawsuit against the City of Charlotte and its private transit security contractor, Professional Security Services (PSS), alleging systemic failures led to the fatal stabbing of the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee aboard a CATS light rail train on August 22, 2025.
According to the lawsuit cited by WBTV, the family claims that both the city and PSS were aware of dangers on and around the light rail system prior to Zarutska's death. Attorney Lauren Newton, representing the family, stated that these systemic failures have been present within the CATS system for years and that the city has been aware of them.
Key allegations in the suit include a lack of physical barriers to prevent unauthorized individuals from boarding trains or buses and a lack of fare enforcement. The lawsuit also claims that PSS was understaffed on the night of the murder. While the city provided funding for 219 security personnel for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, the suit alleges only 183 staff members were employed when Zarutska was killed. Furthermore, the suit claims that while 39 guards were budgeted to be armed, only 11 were on duty at the time.
The lawsuit further accuses the city of instructing light rail conductors not to confront passengers who do not pay fares, citing this as a contributing factor to violent crime. The filing reportedly references four other homicides and assaults that occurred near Blue Line stops in recent years, suggesting that violent crime was foreseeable.
Surveillance footage from the incident reportedly shows the alleged perpetrator, DeCarlos Brown Jr., watching Zarutska before standing and stabbing her in the neck. Zarutska was a Ukrainian refugee who had fled war-torn Ukraine. Brown, who has a history of arrests, is charged federally with causing death on a mass transportation system and faces a separate state charge of first-degree murder. He has been declared unfit to stand trial and committed to a federal medical facility for treatment.
President Donald Trump previously referenced Zarutska's murder during the State of the Union address in February, introducing her mother, Anna Zarutska, and vowing to ensure justice for her daughter. The family is seeking damages exceeding $25,000, plus punitive damages against PSS.
The lawsuit was filed one year after the incident that sent shockwaves through the nation and highlighted concerns about public transit safety.