The Minnesota father of a 6-year-old boy murdered by his own mother during a custody battle has settled his wrongful death lawsuit for $2.25 million.
Tory Hart reached a settlement following the death of his son, Eli Hart. Despite family members’ concerns, a Dakota County judge granted Eli’s mother, Julissa Thaler, full custody prior to his murder, based on social workers’ recommendations.
Hart had informed the court of Thaler’s history of drug abuse, paranoia, and hallucinations. He filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dakota County and three social services employees, alleging negligence in ignoring the family’s warnings.
Related coverage:
According to court documents, Hart will receive more than $1.2 million, the boy’s grandfather and grandmothers will each receive $25,000, and the remainder will be split among the family’s lawyers.
“On behalf of the Hart family, we are pleased to bring this matter to resolution with Dakota County,” attorney Andrew Davick of Meshbesher & Spence said in an email to Law&Crime.
“This was a truly tragic situation, but this resolution holds the County responsible for its child protection failures. This was a difficult two years of litigation, and this case should prompt all counties to reconsider their procedures and processes for protecting our young people.”
A Dakota County spokesperson issued a statement saying, “The murder of Eli Hart was a horrific tragedy.” Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and everyone affected by his death.
The settlement does not constitute an admission of guilt, but it does bring closure to a highly emotional case for family, county staff, and all parties involved. Dakota County remains dedicated to the safety and well-being of our community’s children.”
As previously , Thaler, 29, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
She fired up to nine shotgun shells into Eli’s young body on the evening of May 19, 2022. The next day, she drove around with his body in the trunk of her Chevrolet Impala and disposed of some of his remains in a gas station dumpster.
“A citizen saw the vehicle at a petrol station not long before the traffic stop,” an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case stated. “The information provided was that the vehicle had stopped near the dumpsters.”
Officers searched the skip and discovered a backpack with the remains.
Thaler sat with her solicitors during her sentencing while Eli’s family members spoke about the young victim, according to Minneapolis-based NBC affiliate KARE.
“You could see the love and bonding shared every second they were together,” Eli’s stepmother, Josephine Josephson, said of the boy’s relationship with his father. “Nothing will ever be the same.” “The pain will not go away.”
Eli’s aunt, Nikita Kromberg, described her nephew as more like a son.
She claims that the loss has caused her youngest son to despise school because he misses his cousin. After therapy, she said, her youngest son chose to remember Eli as a butterfly.
“To this day, I blame myself for not saving Eli when I was fostering him,” Kromberg said in court. “I should have documented things better, like taking pictures or videos of Eli and any encounters I had with the monster. “How could anyone do such a terrible thing to such a wonderful, loving child?”
The judge attempted to console the grieving aunt.
“You realize it was not your fault…” “It wasn’t your fault,” Hennepin County District Court Judge Jay Quam told KARE. “So the sooner you let go of that, the sooner you’ll be able to appreciate all of the time you spent with Eli. Thank you for everything you did for Eli. “You made his life better.”
Throughout the proceedings, the mother said only one sentence.
“I am innocent, f— you all. “You’re garbage,” she allegedly said.
The judge replied.
“Ms. Thaler, I don’t know that that’s appropriate here,” responded Quam. “Losing a child appears to be the worst thing that parents can experience. It’s worse when you don’t lose your child to a cause like cancer or an accident.
It is when someone removes that child from the world. What I can’t imagine, and no one can imagine, is that the person who removes a child from the world is the same person who brought that child into the world.”
The violence occurred during a custody dispute between Thaler and Hart. When police questioned Thaler about what had happened, the evidence suggested that she was fixated on her ex.
“Do you need my ex’s name?” She asked an officer.
Thaler later stated, “I, there’s stuff that I — didn’t tell you about my ex.”
