The Sandra Bland case: Family of woman found dead in Texas jail files wrongful death suit

The family of Sandra Bland filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Tuesday against a Texas trooper, a sheriff’s office and her jailers, accusing them of being responsible for the woman's apparent suicide in a county jail.

The suit, which was filed in a federal court in Texas, says that they violated her constitutional rights.

Bland, 28, an African-American, was pulled over in her car on July 10 by a white state trooper, Brian Encinia, for failing to signal a lane change.

The discovery of Bland's body in her cell on July 13 with a trash bag around her neck provoked suspicions of racist treatment. Local officials said she was not mistreated in jail.

The lawsuit says Encinia "intentionally, willfully, wantonly, and unreasonably deprived Sandra Bland of her rights, privileges and immunities secured by the U.S. Constitution."

In addition to Encinia, the suit, which was filed in Houston, names the Texas Department of Public Safety, Waller County, the county's sheriff's department and two jailers as defendants.