The relatives of Renee Good have filed two civil lawsuits against the federal government and specific immigration officials, marking the first public legal action following the January shooting death of the 37-year-old woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis.
One complaint serves as a wrongful death suit, alleging that Agent Jonathan Ross violated both agency protocols and the Fourth Amendment by employing excessive force. The suit seeks compensation for the suffering Good endured during her final moments, as well as for emotional distress caused to her partner, Becca Good, who witnessed the incident. Although federal authorities initially asserted that Good had weaponized her vehicle, video footage has contradicted that claim.
A second, more uncommon lawsuit accuses federal officials of conspiring to infringe upon the civil rights of Minnesota residents. Filed by attorneys at Romanucci & Blandin, the document argues that Good’s death was a foreseeable outcome of the administration’s intensified immigration enforcement campaign in the state. The suit characterizes Ross’s actions as part of a coordinated effort to target Somali and Hispanic individuals and to suppress those who documented or protested the crackdown.
To support these allegations, the lawyers invoked the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a Reconstruction-era statute originally designed to combat domestic terrorism. Legal experts have noted the novelty of this approach in the current climate.
“I would say the second lawsuit is very unusual,” said Rachel Moran, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas, observing that the Trump administration has frequently utilized conspiracy charges against individuals protesting immigration tactics. She suggested that Good’s legal team is effectively “turning that tactic on its head” by asserting that government officials are the ones engaging in illegal conspiracies.
Ben Berkman, one of the attorneys representing the family, explained that the first lawsuit addresses the specific conduct of federal officers on the street, while the second examines the broader policies that placed those officers there.
The lawsuits were announced during a news conference in Minneapolis on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The family—consisting of parents Tim and Donna Ganger and brothers Luke and Brent Ganger—spoke publicly for the first time regarding their daughter and sister.
Conspiracy charges against federal officials? That’s going to be a massive uphill battle. Skeptical they’ll win on that front.
This is heartbreaking. No family should have to endure this. I hope the civil suits bring some accountability.
Is it true the video contradicted the initial vehicle claim? That seems like a critical detail for the excessive force lawsuit.
The use of the KKK Act is a bold legal strategy. Really curious to see how the courts handle this unprecedented angle.