What began as a public effort to support Daunte Wright’s family after his death later became a dispute over more than $1 million in donations. A GoFundMe campaign launched following Wright’s fatal shooting in Minnesota in 2021 raised $1,039,207 from nearly 29,000 donors. But in October 2022, Chyna Whitaker, the mother of Wright’s only child, filed a lawsuit alleging that her son had been promised a share of the money but received none. The Minnesota court complaint alleged that half of the fundraiser proceeds had been promised to the child.
How the $1 million fundraiser began
Daunte Wright, 20, was fatally shot by former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter during a traffic stop on April 11, 2021. His death prompted an outpouring of public attention and support for his family. A GoFundMe campaign called the “Daunte Wright Sr. Memorial Fund” was created after his death. Kelly Bryant, Wright’s aunt, was listed as the organiser, while Arbuey Wright was named as the beneficiary. The campaign set a fundraising goal of $1.1 million. According to the GoFundMe page, it ultimately collected $1,039,207 through nearly 29,000 donations.The campaign described several intended uses for the money, including funeral and burial expenses, mental health and grief counselling, family support and efforts to seek justice following Wright’s death. The lawsuit also said the fundraiser referred to Wright’s infant son and that the money would help support him and the wider family.
What Wright’s son’s mother alleged
The legal dispute surfaced about 18 months after the fundraiser was launched. Chyna Whitaker, who was the mother of Wright’s only child, filed a civil lawsuit in Minnesota state court on October 3, 2022. According to the complaint, Whitaker alleged that she had been assured that 50% of the GoFundMe proceeds would go to her son, Daunte Wright Jr. The lawsuit calculated that amount at approximately $519,495, based on the total raised by the campaign.Whitaker alleged that she relied on those assurances when making decisions about financial support for her son. She claimed that she believed the existing fundraiser would provide for him and therefore did not establish a separate fundraising campaign. The complaint also named attorney Ben Crump and alleged that he had made or communicated assurances concerning the distribution of the funds. Whitaker sought damages exceeding $500,000 and brought claims including breach of contract and fraud and misrepresentation. These claims were allegations contained in the complaint and should not be treated as court findings.
What the GoFundMe page said
According to the GoFundMe page, donations would help the Wright family with funeral and burial costs, mental health and grief counselling, family support and efforts to seek justice. It also mentioned Wright’s son and the need to support him following his father’s death. However, the page also stated that the funds would be transferred to an account designated by Wright’s parents. It said the parents would manage and spend the money and described them as having ownership rights over the funds collected. This became significant because Whitaker’s lawsuit alleged that she had separately been promised a specific share for her son.The dispute therefore involved a question about how the public fundraising language interacted with the alleged private assurances concerning the child’s financial benefit.
Ben Crump and Wright’s parents named as defendants
Whitaker’s lawsuit named Wright’s parents and Ben Crump as defendants. The complaint alleged that representations were made about the money and that Whitaker understood those representations to mean her son would receive a substantial portion of the fundraiser proceeds. FOX 9 reported on the lawsuit when it was filed, including Whitaker’s effort to obtain money from the fundraiser for her son. The case was therefore centred on the alleged promises surrounding the donations and whether those promises created an obligation to provide Wright’s son with a particular portion of the money.
The separate $3.25 million settlement
The GoFundMe dispute was separate from another major financial matter connected to Wright’s death. In 2022, the City of Brooklyn Center agreed to a $3.25 million settlement with Wright’s family. The settlement was not part of the GoFundMe campaign. It resulted from a separate legal matter involving the city and Wright’s family.The distribution of that settlement was subsequently reviewed by a court. According to FOX 9, a judge approved a distribution plan under which Daunte Wright Jr. was set to receive more than $2 million from the settlement. The distinction is important because the $1.04 million fundraiser came from individual public donations, while the $3.25 million represented a separate settlement with the city.
Why the case drew attention
The dispute illustrates the complications that can arise when large public fundraisers are created following a death and different people have different understandings about how the money will be used. In Wright’s case, nearly 29,000 people donated more than $1 million through a campaign that described support for his family and young son. The fundraiser also gave Wright’s parents control over the account and the collected funds. Whitaker’s lawsuit alleged that she had been given separate assurances that half of the money would belong to her son.The October 2022 complaint placed those competing claims before a Minnesota court. At the centre of the dispute was not whether the fundraiser had raised the money, but what donors had been told, what promises were allegedly made and who was ultimately entitled to the proceeds.
