A federal judge has dismissed a related civil lawsuit in the long-running legal fight over Kendrick Johnson’s 2013 death — even as the teen’s parents filed a new, sweeping $10 billion complaint days earlier, accusing federal judges of participating in a “murder cover-up.” 

The recent rulings and filings have introduced a confusing, but crucial timeline: the $1 billion suit that was dismissed dates to the family’s earlier litigation (announced in 2023), while the newly filed March 2026 complaint seeks $10 billion and specifically names federal judges and the Northern District of Georgia.

U.S. District Judge Sarah Geraghty dismissed the $1 billion complaint on March 6, 2026, writing that “the Court again expresses its concern about the inconsistencies between the various official reports on KJ’s death and Plaintiffs’ allegations.” But she ruled the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and certain defendants were shielded by Eleventh Amendment sovereign-immunity and found procedural defects — including improper service and time-barred evidence — that prevented the claims from proceeding. 

Separately, on March 3, 2026, Kendrick’s parents, Kenneth Johnson and Jacquelyn Johnson, filed a fresh federal complaint seeking $10 billion that names Chief Judge Leigh Martin May, Judge Geraghty, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia as defendants. That filing accuses judges and local officials of entering “materially false, fraudulent, and felonious” orders and alleges a racketeering-style conspiracy to hide the truth about Kendrick’s death. Local outlets and the family say the complaint requests $5 billion in compensatory damages and $5 billion in punitive damages. 

After the dismissal, the Johnsons vowed to continue fighting. Kenneth Johnson said in a public statement, “If the message is not clear enough, let me make it clear as crystal right now, anyone, regardless of who you are, what position of power and influence you may hold, if you choose to join the murder cover-up scandal of my son Kendrick, you do so at your own peril!” — and his lawyers indicated they will appeal the dismissal and press the newly filed claims. 

Johnson’s death ignited national attention in 2013 when his body was found inside a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes County High School. Local authorities initially concluded the death resulted from accidental “positional asphyxia,” a finding the Johnson family has long disputed, arguing that photographic evidence and case files point to “severe non-accidental blunt force trauma” and other signs inconsistent with an accidental death. The family says prior motions to investigate were improperly dismissed and that the federal court’s orders denied them a fair process. The Johnsons, however, say they will push for a full jury trial to examine the record and alleged cover-up.