More than a year after 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light-rail train, her family has taken legal action against the city and its private security contractor. The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in late August 2026, claims that long-standing gaps in transit security and oversight left pᴀssengers exposed to foreseeable danger and contributed to her death.

Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who had come to the United States to escape the war in her home country, was riding the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood on the evening of August 22, 2025. She boarded the train after finishing work and sat a short distance from Decarlos Brown Jr. According to investigators, the two had no prior interaction. Within minutes, Brown allegedly attacked her with a knife, striking her multiple times, including in the neck. She was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at the scene. Brown was later arrested and charged in connection with the killing.

The civil complaint names the City of Charlotte and Professional Security Services (PSS), the company contracted to provide security for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). Central to the lawsuit is the claim that no security officer was present on the train at the time of the attack. The filing further alleges that PSS was operating well below the staffing levels outlined in its contract. While the agreement called for 219 security personnel, including as many as 39 armed officers, the company reportedly had only 183 total staff members and just 11 armed guards when Zarutska was killed.

Attorney Lauren Newton, who represents Zarutska’s family and estate, has described the case as the result of systemic problems within the CATS system that city officials knew about or should have known about for years. The lawsuit points to the absence of physical barriers that would prevent unpaid riders from boarding, limited fare enforcement, and a documented history of criminal activity along the Blue Line and its stations. Newton has argued that these conditions made violent incidents foreseeable and that stronger security measures could have altered the outcome.

The family is seeking monetary damages, including amounts exceeding $25,000, along with punitive damages against the security contractor. The claims include wrongful death based on alleged negligence and inadequate security. Officials for the City of Charlotte have said they do not comment on active litigation. PSS did not immediately respond to requests for comment when the suit was filed.

Zarutska’s death in 2025 drew national and international attention, raising broader questions about safety on public transit systems. Her relatives have said they are pursuing the civil case not only for accountability but also in the hope that it will lead to meaningful improvements that help protect other riders. Separately, the criminal case against the accused has encountered delays after he was found incompetent to stand trial and ordered into a treatment program aimed at restoring his capacity.

As of September 2026, the civil lawsuit remains in its early stages. The family continues to seek answers and changes more than thirteen months after the attack that ended Iryna Zarutska’s life.

Sources : Fox News, WBTV.