Mother's Lawsuit Against Ed Buck Settled on Eve of Trial

A settlement has been reached on the eve of trial in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the mother of one of two men who died of a methamphetamine overdose in the West Hollywood apartment of now-imprisoned ex-Democratic donor Ed Buck, it was announced Thursday.

The civil suit, filed by LaTisha Nixon, mother of the late Gemmel Moore, was due to go to trial in Los Angeles federal court next week. Details of the settlement were not revealed in a notice filed with the court on Wednesday.

Buck was convicted in 2021 of nine felony counts stemming from the deaths of Moore and Timothy Dean.

Evidence showed Buck, now 70, lured young Black men who were often experiencing homelessness, addiction and poverty to his apartment for sexually charged so-called "party and play" sessions in which he would inject them with methamphetamine and drug them with sedatives, with and without their consent.

Moore and Dean died of methamphetamine overdoses 18 months apart — Moore in July 2017 and Dean in January 2019.

After less than a day of deliberations on July 27, 2021 — the four-year anniversary of Moore's death — a federal jury in downtown Los Angeles found Buck guilty of all charged counts.

Over the course of the two-week trial, federal prosecutors called more than 20 witnesses, including four men who told of smoking methamphetamine that Buck provided and then being pressured to allow the defendant to inject them with the drug.

In April 2022, Buck was sentenced to 30 years behind bars. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his conviction last month.

Nixon's attorney, Nana Gyamfi, said in a statement after the lawsuit settlement was reached that her client "is relieved that this chapter in her fight for justice for Gemmel has reached a resolution."

The attorney continued, "While no amount of money can ever bring her son back, this settlement is a recognition of the tragedy and the injustice of Gemmel's death. It's also a testament to Ms. Nixon's courage and persistence in fighting for her son's memory, even when the odds were stacked against her."

A Superior Court judge recently dismissed a lawsuit against Buck brought by the sisters of Dean, the second man to die in Buck's apartment, citing the plaintiffs' lack of participation in the case.

Buck once was a candidate for a seat on the West Hollywood City Council. He donated more than $500,000 to political candidates and causes, most of them associated with the Democratic Party.

A civil suit brought by a surviving victim of Buck's is scheduled for trial in Superior Court early next year.