NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Jillian Ludwig’s parents have filed a $50 million lawsuit against several organizations and people in Nashville, including Belmont University, the city of Nashville and the state of Tennessee.

Jillian, 18, was shot and killed last year on November 7. She was running on the track at Edgehill Community Gardens Park near Belmont University, where she was a freshman. She was there for an hour before anyone found her.

The lawsuit alleges that several people and organizations contributed to her death, including the Metro Development and Housing Agency (MDHA), a gun supplier, doctors who mentally evaluated the man suspected of killing Jillian, and the suspect himself – Shaquille Taylor.

Taylor has been declared mentally incompetent in the past – meaning he had to be released. In May 2023, Taylor was released from custody after three court-appointed psychologists found him incompetent to stand trial. They found he was not an imminent threat to himself or others. Then in September 2023, Taylor was charged with car theft and released on bail, but a warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to appear in court.

Jillian’s parents, Matthew and Jessica Ludwig, wrote in the lawsuit that their daughter’s life ended due to negligence and recklessness.

I’m going to break down this 24-page lawsuit, which has nearly a dozen defendants.

Who are the defendants?

The Ludwigs are suing the following:

• MDHA
• A security guard employed to secure MDHA property
• Metro Govt
• A police officer with the Metro Nashville Police Department
• Belmont University
• the state of Tennessee
• The doctors who evaluated suspect Shaquille Taylor
• A security guard for Belmont University
• A weapons supplier
• suspect Shaquille Taylor

Who is the suspect?

Taylor, 30, has an intellectual disability and language impairment, according to court records obtained by NewsChannel 5.

That determination meant he could not attend a trial where he is accused of shooting into a car in 2021 near Dickerson Pike, where a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old were in the back seat. He admitted to detectives in 2021 that he did it.

Taylor was a co-defendant in the case and was initially charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. By law, Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton had to dismiss the case because she was deemed incompetent.

“In my opinion, Mr. Taylor lacks jurisdiction because of his intellectual disability and language impairment,” wrote Dr. Mary Elizabeth Wood in a forensic evaluation report for the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. “He understands the charges and recognizes that his liberty interests as a defendant are at risk. It was easily confused with the basic questions. There was limited ability to provide his lawyer with relevant information about his case.”

Evaluation by Dr. Wood wasn’t the only one Taylor suffered from. In 2010, when Taylor was a teenager, he was referred to the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, where doctors found him to be “incompetent and not recoverable”, meaning his disability could not improve. The 2010 report determined Taylor had an intellectual disability due to being born with pneumonia that led to a brain infection, according to court documents.

His mother, Tondalayia Cox, testified that Taylor was functioning “at a kindergarten level.”

What the trial tells us about the defendants

The Ludwig family, in the lawsuit, said Belmont University had a duty to inform students about areas around campus, including those frequently experiencing crime.

“Belmont University knew or should have known that certain sections of Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park were nearby.
the high-crime proximity areas and was an unsafe area to visit,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit explained that Taylor lived on MDHA property adjacent to the park. They also sued an unidentified security guard who serviced the MDHA property.

They also sued a Metro police officer who they said failed to investigate the area when shots were fired in the park.

In the lawsuit, the Ludwig family discovered a mental evaluation in which Taylor said he understood the 2023 allegations against him.

For this reason, the lawsuit explains why they chose to sue Jenny Matthai, Michael Loftin and Mary Elizabeth Wood, who helped determine Taylor’s competency level. The three are employed by the state and Metro, according to the lawsuit.

“(They) still knew, while Taylor was in their custody and control, that he had a specific history of violence and gun violence. Furthermore, (they) knew or should have known, in the exercise of sound professional judgment, that Taylor would likely harm others if released.”

The Ludwig family is also suing a gun supplier. It was unclear at the time of the shooting where Taylor got the gun. He should not be legally allowed to buy a gun because he is a convicted felon. The family claims the gun supplier failed to check Taylor’s background to see if he was a felon.

Jillian’s Law

Jillian’s family has been pushing to have the state law changed since her death, and they have been successful.

This year, the law changed to say those found unfit would have to receive treatment in a hospital or outpatient setting, and the court would have to keep up with their progress. That person would also never be allowed to own a firearm again. If the person was able to regain competency, the person’s criminal proceedings would be resumed, meaning they could be tried for their crimes.

House Majority Leader William Lamberth sponsored the bill. He and Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, worked on this legislation after Jillian died.

Her parents were sitting in the House gallery with a portrait of Jillian in their hands when the bill passed.

What Belmont University Says

“This is new information as we have not been told this process yet and we need time to review it. What we can tell you is that our entire campus shares the continued pain of Jillian’s death, and we were and remain deeply committed to the safety of our students.” — Belmont University

Do you have more information on this story? You can email me at [email protected].

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