But some other employees say the guards and Houston police went too far, holding Robinson down and neglecting to check on him as he lay next to a curb while they waited for paramedics. Another medical examiner ruled two years after his death that Robinson died of asphyxiation because of the hogtying, the officers' weight on him and fluid in his lungs. Attorneys are scheduled to start selecting jurors today to sift through the starkly different versions of the incident in the trial of a wrongful death lawsuit filed in 1995 by Robinson's family. The family, seeking unspecified damages, sued the city, five Houston police officers, the two guards and Little Rock, Ark.-based Dillard's. State District Judge Martha Hill Jamison is to preside.
Jury selection begins today.
In that time the officers, the city of Houston and Dillard's have lost battles to get the case thrown out of court. I hope the jury understands that. Paul Schroeder, general counsel for Dillard's, declined comment. According to court documents, Robinson went on a shopping spree during which he bought a car, two cellular telephones and several items at Dillard's. Robinson's family contends he asked for a withdrawal of the money on his ATM card and a confrontation erupted between him and the clerk.