Kyle Rittenhouse is being sued by the estate of the man he killed, complains that lawsuits make it 'harder for me to move on with my life'
Sean Krajacic/Pool via Getty Images
- Kyle Rittenhouse has been sued by the estate of one of the men he shot and killed in 2020.
- Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of all criminal charges, faces two other civil lawsuits from the shooting.
- He says the lawsuits make it difficult for him to move on with his life, Texas Scorecard reported.
Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two people in what became a flashpoint self-defense case, is being sued by the estate of one of the men he killed in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020.
The estate of Joseph Rosenbaum filed a lawsuit on August 25 against Rittenhouse, along with several police officers and personnel whom the suit accuses of negligence, wrongful death, and 13 other claims, Texas Scorecard first reported.
Rosenbaum, who was 36 years old and struggling with mental health issues, encountered Rittenhouse on August 25, 2020, amid civil unrest following a police shooting of Jacob Blake. He chased Rittenhouse, who ultimately shot Rosenbaum four times, killing him.
Rittenhouse, who did not live in the state of Wisconsin and was only 17 at the time, traveled there during the civil unrest. He was armed with a rifle that his friend bought on his behalf.
"Tragically, Joseph Rosenbaum died when Defendant Rittenhouse shot him," the lawsuit says, demanding compensatory damages.
Rittenhouse shot two more people there, killing a man named John Huber and injuring another, Gaige Grosskreutz. In a contentious criminal case in 2021, Rittenhouse was acquitted of all five charges related to the shootings after his attorneys argued he fired in self-defense.
Prior to this latest lawsuit, Huber's father and Grosskreutz each filed civil suits against Rittenhouse, according to Newsweek.
"If they take me down, they will take the rest of us down with them," Rittenhouse, who has become a right-wing hero for gun rights, said at the time, per Newsweek.
"These lawsuits are making it harder and harder for me to move on with my life," Rittenhouse told Texas Scorecard. "It is extremely difficult to go outside without fear of being harassed or assaulted because of the lies spread in these lawsuits. No one should have to continue to defend the fact that they acted in self defense."
It was not immediately clear if Rittenhouse had retained an attorney for the latest lawsuit. His attorney in a separate civil suit did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.