Bombshell Lawsuit Alleges NFL QB Drugged, Blackmailed Before Being Struck by Truck on Highway
On April 9, 2022, sports fans — and particularly Steelers Nation — were shocked by the news that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins had been killed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while in the area training with his teammates.
Haskins died from blunt force trauma after running out of gas on Interstate 595 and attempting to walk across the highway, where he was stuck by a dump truck in the early morning hours.
It was soon reported that the athlete had a blood alcohol content of 0.2, which is more than twice the legal limit, and that he had drugs in his system, the Associated Press reported at the time.
But teammates and family members were quick to defend Haskins, saying “he sometimes drank heavily and sometimes used marijuana, but was not known to use any other recreational drugs.”
Now, it has come to light that last month Haskins’ family filed a lawsuit in Broward County, Florida, naming 14 defendants and alleging that Haskins was targeted for a blackmail and robbery scheme the night of his death.
The family wants a trial by jury and is suing for “unspecified damages,” ESPN reported.
The lawsuit named four of the defendants as Joey Smith, Meriem Yassine, Wissal Yassine and Karlee Peyton and alleged they committed battery “by drugging Dwayne Haskins to blackmail and rob him and causing him and/or contributing to cause him severe injury and death.”
According to the autopsy, the quarterback “tested positive for ketamine and norketamine” — both recreational and medicinal drugs — according to the New York Post.
The Post reported that Haskins spent the night before his death eating dinner with his cousin and clubbing before the two fought and split up for the rest of the evening.
“They drank heavily and at some point, they got into a fight, separating,” the ME report said.
Little is known about what occurred over the next few hours, but a statement issued by Rick Ellsley, the lawyer for Haskins’ wife Kalabrya Haskins, said, “It is believed that Dwayne was targeted and drugged as part of a blackmail and robbery conspiracy. In fact, his highly-expensive watch was stolen from him shortly before his death.”
Apart from the allegations of drugging and robbery, the lawsuit also named the dump truck driver — Oriel Patino — as a defendant, claiming that due to his negligence and failure to maintain his truck, Haskins was killed.
According to the lawsuit, Patino “failed to operate his vehicle in a reasonably prudent manner … exceeded the posted speed limit … failed to keep a proper lookout … failed to maintain the brakes on his truck … failed to maintain the tires on his truck … [and] overloaded his truck such that the cargo exceeded its legal weight limit.”
Ellsley’s statement, with regards to Patino, said, “Many questions remain as to why the truck driver did not avoid hitting Dwayne given the highly visible activity in the area before the impact and the fact that the other drivers did not hit Dwayne … The report also notes that the driver refused to provide a blood sample to the police at the scene and still has not provided the alcohol test results.”
The lawsuit also named the Florida Department of Transportation, ROAM Rental Care, Wyndam Garden Hotel Boca Raton, Drive Shack Palm Beach, Blue Anchor Pub, and E11EVEN (a night club) as defendants — among others — claiming they contributed to Haskins’ death either through acts of negligence or by failing to maintain a safe environment, WPBF reported.
Prior to his death, Dwayne Haskins played as an NFL quarterback for the then-Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was also a star quarterback at Ohio State University prior to entering the draft in 2019.
The family is asking that any individual that has knowledge of any of the allegations brought forth in the lawsuit to call (954) 888-7720 or to email info@ellsleylaw.com.
Ellsley’s statement concluded with, “The filing of this lawsuit is an important step in the process of uncovering the complete truth about this tragedy.”
Hopefully, the truth will come out, and the family will find peace.
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