Shocking Twist: Daniel Penny Hit with New Legal Trouble in Controversial Chokehold Death Case

Despite being found not guilty in the criminal case, Jordan Neely’s father, who was away from his son for the majority of his life, is now suing Daniel Penny in civil court.

Days before a Manhattan jury cleared the Marine veteran of negligent homicide charges in the intense encounter last year, Andre Zachary filed his wrongful death claim against Penny.

According to legal experts who spoke to The Post, the lawsuit presents a fresh set of difficulties. Attorney Lanny Davis, a senior adviser to former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, stated, “He has that elephant in the room to address, first as a personal matter and second as a legal matter, what was he thinking to apply so much force that the man died?”

According to Davis, the playing field is altered when the burden of proof is transferred from criminal to civil trials. “From most likely than not to reasonable doubt.” It is crucial that he shares his version of events.

Zachary’s complaint, which was filed on December 4 during Penny’s criminal prosecution, alleges that the subway vigilante killed Neely on May 1, 2023, and it requests an undisclosed sum of money in damages.

If it goes to trial, the civil lawsuit will be decided by a jury of six Manhattan citizens, five of whom must determine if Penny “negligently” caused Neely’s death. Penny will have to sit down for a deposition that will probably be videotaped, even though he did not testify at his criminal trial.

If the case gets to trial, he might also be asked to testify. After his mother passed away in 2007 when he was 14 years old, Neely spent his childhood bouncing between foster homes.

It wasn’t until Zachary was eighteen that the troubled young man moved in with him, and their time together was tainted by financial difficulties. According to a New York magazine feature on Neely, the father and son would quarrel after Zachary requested him to split the money he made from his gigs as a Michael Jackson mimic, and he refused.

According to Neely’s friend Dwayne Blizzard, Zachary would take away Neely’s house keys during those altercations. Zachary told the outlet that he didn’t agree with that charge.