Redd family files wrongful death suit

The family of Dr. James Redd has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. government, arguing that government actions during the June 10, 2009 antiquities raids in Blanding led to Redd’s death by suicide the following day.
The lawsuit is filed against a dozen agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Land Management. The federal agencies have not yet responded to the allegations.
Dr. Redd, and 23 other Blanding-area residents, were arrested on the morning of June 10, 2009 by a group of heavily-armed federal agents.
The suit alleges that after being arrested, Redd was handcuffed and interrogated for hours by federal agents before being transported to Moab in what a family spokesman has described as a cage. Redd was then charged and arraigned before a federal judge and released. The next day, Redd committed suicide on his property in Blanding.
The family alleges that the overwhelming show of force and intimidation tactics used by the agents triggered the actions that led to Redd’s suicide.
Redd faced a single federal felony charge of theft of private property.
Two other men have taken their own lives in the process, including defendant Steven Schrader and informant Ted Gardiner.
The suit alleges that Gardiner was a “down and out on his luck” artifact dealer who was paid $7,500 per month by the federal government to act as a confidential informant.