Ohio State then-redshirt sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins (7) leaves the field after the game against Michigan on Nov. 24, 2018. Ohio State won 62-39. Credit: Amal Saeed | Lantern File Photo
The family and widow of the late Dwayne Haskins filed a lawsuit in Florida alleging negligence, drugging and blackmail that led to the death of the former Ohio State quarterback.
Haskins was killed in April 2022 after he was hit by a dump truck on a highway. An autopsy and toxicology report released in May 2022 revealed Haskins was intoxicated at the time of his death. Haskins was 24 years old.
The civil lawsuit was filed March 23, citing 14 defendants for negligence in Hawskin’s death — including the truck driver who hit Haskins, the Florida Department of Transportation, a Florida business, rental car company and nightclub.
According to the cause of death report, Haskins had been driving with a woman on Interstate 595 near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, early in the morning when the car ran out of gas. The report stated Haskins “left on foot to locate a gas station” before he was killed.
The lawsuit claims negligence from both the driver and owner of the 1994 Kenworth truck that struck and killed Haskins. It stated the driver “exceeded the proper speed limit,” “failed to keep a proper lookout” and “failed to avoid hitting the Plaintiff who was visible and avoidable.”
The lawsuit also claims the truck’s owner did not maintain necessary repairs to the vehicle, and the FDOT did not upkeep the highways to ensure proper lighting.
The FDOT didn’t respond for comment by the time of publication.
The lawsuit also cites four individuals for allegedly drugging Haskins “to blackmail and rob him, causing him and/or contributing to cause him severe injury and death” hours prior to his death.
The toxicology report stated Haskin’s blood-alcohol concentration was 0.20 percent, more than double Florida’s legal driving limit of below 0.08 percent.
Rick Ellsley, attorney on behalf of Haskins’ widow Kalabrya Haskins, released a statement Monday regarding the filed lawsuit.
“As to what occurred in the hours before Dwayne was killed, many questions remain unanswered,” Ellsley said in the statement. “It is believed that Dwayne was targeted and drugged as part of a blackmail and robbery conspiracy. In fact, his highly-expensive watch was stolen from him shortly before his death.”
There is no mention of a stolen watch in the lawsuit.
A jury trial is demanded, according to the complaint. The lawsuit seeks $101,001 in monetary damages.
Ellsley said the lawsuit is a step closer to learning what happened to Haskins.
“The filing of this lawsuit is an important step in the process of uncovering the complete truth about this tragedy,” the release stated.
Dwayne Haskins’ career at Ohio State spanned three seasons, highlighted by a record-breaking 2018 season in which he was a Heisman Trophy finalist and selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.
