Kyle Rittenhouse’s November 2021 acquittal on criminal charges did not close the book on the Kenosha shootings. Three civil lawsuits have been filed against him since, two of them still active in federal court, and Rittenhouse himself has announced plans for defamation suits against media figures that, as of the most recent reporting, have not materialized. Here is where each case stands.
Why Civil Cases Survived the Acquittal
A criminal acquittal blocks a second prosecution for the same conduct, but it does not bar civil claims. Prosecutors have to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A civil plaintiff only needs to show liability by a preponderance of the evidence, a significantly lower bar.1Attorney at Law Magazine. Kyle Rittenhouse Civil Liability: Not Guilty That gap is why the families of the two men Rittenhouse killed, and the man he wounded, were free to sue after the criminal verdict.
Huber v. Beth: Anthony Huber’s Father’s Lawsuit
John Huber, father of Anthony Huber, filed a federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit on August 17, 2021, before the criminal trial concluded. The case, Huber v. Beth (Case No. 2:21-cv-00969), sits in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin before Judge Lynn Adelman.2CourtListener. Huber v. Beth, 2:21-cv-00969 The defendants include Rittenhouse, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, former Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis, Acting Police Chief Eric Larsen, several unnamed officers, the city of Kenosha, and Kenosha County.3WISN. Anthony Huber Family Federal Lawsuit Against Kenosha Officials
The complaint’s core allegation is that Kenosha law enforcement created the conditions that led to Huber’s death. According to the suit, officers effectively deputized armed militia members, allowed them to patrol the streets in defiance of a curfew, and gave them water while telling them “we appreciate you guys.” The complaint says police failed to disarm, stop, or arrest Rittenhouse despite his openly carrying a rifle as a minor, and enforced curfews strictly against peaceful protesters while letting armed white militia members roam freely.3WISN. Anthony Huber Family Federal Lawsuit Against Kenosha Officials4CBS News. Kenosha Police Lawsuit: Anthony Huber’s Father Sues Over Shooting
Rittenhouse and the government defendants moved to dismiss. Rittenhouse’s argument was that he had not been properly served. Judge Adelman rejected it on February 1, 2023, finding that service delivered to Rittenhouse’s sister at a Florida residence was sufficient and describing Rittenhouse as “deliberately cagey” about his whereabouts and “almost certainly evading service.”5PBS NewsHour. Federal Judge Allows Lawsuit Against Rittenhouse to Proceed On the substance, Adelman ruled that the complaint stated a claim under the state-created danger doctrine, which holds the government liable when its affirmative acts increase the danger to someone. He found the allegations plausibly described law enforcement “funneling” protesters into a confined area with armed, hostile individuals while limiting their ability to flee or defend themselves, and concluded that Huber’s death “could plausibly be regarded as having been proximately caused by the actions of the governmental defendants.”6U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin. Huber v. Beth, Opinion and Order
The case is in discovery. Judge Adelman set a fact discovery deadline of May 25, 2026, with expert disclosures running through September 2026 and dispositive motions due January 15, 2027. No trial date has been set, and the docket shows extensive motion practice over discovery disputes through 2025 and 2026.7CourtListener. Huber v. Beth, 2:21-cv-00969 – Docket Page 2
Grosskreutz v. Rittenhouse: The Surviving Victim’s Suit
Gaige Grosskreutz, who lost much of his bicep after Rittenhouse shot him in the arm, filed a civil suit in October 2021 against the city of Kenosha and local officials. In February 2023, the complaint was amended to add Rittenhouse as a defendant. It seeks unspecified damages.8PBS NewsHour. Attorneys for Man Shot During Protest in Kenosha Say Kyle Rittenhouse Is Evading Them
Grosskreutz’s attorneys ran into the same service problems as the Huber team, telling a federal judge in February 2023 that Rittenhouse was purposefully evading them. His criminal defense attorney, Mark Richards, said he did not represent Rittenhouse in the Grosskreutz case and did not know where he was.9WISN. Attorneys Trying to Serve Kyle Rittenhouse With Civil Lawsuit Say He’s Evading Them
The Rosenbaum Estate Suit Was Dismissed
On August 25, 2023, the estate of Joseph Rosenbaum filed a 15-count complaint in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, assigned to Chief Judge Pamela Pepper. It named Rittenhouse, Kenosha County, Waukesha County, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department, the Kenosha Police Department, and the heads of those agencies, with claims that included conspiracy to deprive constitutional rights, failure to intervene, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and wrongful death.10Court TV. Kyle Rittenhouse, County Officials Sued by Joseph Rosenbaum’s Estate
The case did not go far. On January 2, 2024, the plaintiff filed a notice of voluntary dismissal and the case was terminated the same day.11CourtListener. Estate of Joseph Rosenbaum v. Beth, 2:23-cv-01128 Public reporting has not explained why.
Does the Self-Defense Acquittal Protect Him in Civil Court?
Wisconsin’s self-defense statute, Section 939.48, does not explicitly grant civil immunity after a criminal acquittal. Case law cited in the statute’s annotations, however, suggests that a person who reasonably uses deadly force in self-defense may avoid civil liability. The Seventh Circuit’s 1975 decision in Clark v. Ziedonis held that a person who uses deadly force under a reasonable belief that it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm does so “without incurring civil liability.”12Justia. Wisconsin Statutes Section 939.48
Whether that principle will shield Rittenhouse in the pending civil cases has not been decided. The active suits, especially Huber v. Beth, aim much of their fire at law enforcement rather than at Rittenhouse alone, and the government-liability theories involve distinct legal questions from the self-defense issue.
Rittenhouse’s Own Defamation Plans
Shortly after his acquittal, Rittenhouse announced he intended to sue media figures and outlets. In December 2021, he told Fox News there would be “some media accountability coming soon” and publicly named Whoopi Goldberg and Cenk Uygur as potential targets.13Washington Post. Kyle Rittenhouse Video Game Defamation In early 2022, he launched the Media Accountability Project, a Nevada LLC to raise money for defamation litigation, and hired attorney Todd McMurtry, who said he was reviewing potential claims and had “10 to 15 solid” cases against large defendants, singling out Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for allowing the platform to label the shootings as “mass murder.”14Yahoo News. One Acquittal Later, Kyle Rittenhouse’s Battle With the Media
No defamation lawsuits have actually been filed, according to the most recent reporting. An AP fact-check confirmed that a rumored settlement with ABC’s “The View” did not occur.15AP News. The View Hasn’t Settled a Lawsuit With Kyle Rittenhouse Legal experts have noted that Rittenhouse would likely be treated as a public figure in any such suit, which would require him to prove actual malice, a demanding standard.14Yahoo News. One Acquittal Later, Kyle Rittenhouse’s Battle With the Media
Of everything still open, Huber v. Beth is the most consequential. It is heading toward dispositive motions in early 2027 and a possible trial after that. No settlements have been reported in any of the civil cases.