Ben Crump has added another major legal win to his résumé on behalf of civil rights and wrongful death, securing a $779 million verdict for the family of Lewis Butler, a security guard killed during a 2023 robbery at a Havana, Florida internet café.
According to USA Today, the decision, handed down by a Gadsden County jury, is believed to be the largest civil award in the county’s history.
Butler was working security at the café when an armed suspect entered the building during an attempted robbery. According to evidence presented in court, Butler was shot eight times while shielding a cashier from the gunfire.
Per The Root, the criminal case tied to the shooting concluded late last year, when jurors convicted Kevontae Washington of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree felony murder, and attempted armed robbery. Prosecutors said he was apprehended two hours after fleeing the scene, and surviving store clerk DeeAnna Owens later testified about the attack.
Crump filed the civil lawsuit on behalf of Butler’s widow, Kimberly Butler, arguing that the business operating the café—Fortune MGT 2023 LLC and its owner, Manishkumar Patel—failed to report a previous armed robbery that occurred just weeks earlier.
In a statement from Crump’s firm, attorneys said the establishment “ignored known security risks” and continued operating despite allegedly being aware of illegal gambling activity on the property.
A State Attorney’s Office investigator also testified that the weapon used in the November shooting had been stolen from the café during the earlier October robbery.
Crump emphasized that the verdict reflects both accountability and the family’s long fight for answers. “We want to compensate the family for this monumental loss that they suffered,” he said to USA Today, adding that the judgment represents a “monumental right” after a preventable tragedy.
He also noted that Kimberly Butler has been vocal about the dangers of internet cafés, saying she believes the businesses “are an invitation for criminal activity.”
Although collecting such a large award can be challenging, Crump said his team intends to pursue every avenue. “We may have to attach garnishments and liens to property and bank accounts, but we are dogmatic in pursuit of making sure we get compensation from those who the jury felt were responsible for this unnecessary, tragic death,” he said.
The case also highlights ongoing frustrations for Florida regulators. Despite a 2013 law intended to shut down internet sweepstakes cafés, the businesses continue to resurface, often operating in areas of enforcement uncertainty.