By Holbrook Mohr
Associated Press
JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — The family of a black man who authorities say was run over by a white teenager in a truck is suing over the alleged hate crime.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Mississippi accuses seven white teenagers of setting out on June 26 in search of a black man to harass.
A defendant in the lawsuit, Deryl Dedmon, is charged with capital murder and robbery in the death of 49-year-old James Craig Anderson.
Authorities say Dedmon intentionally ran over Anderson with a pickup truck in Jackson on June 26.
Dedmon was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday on the criminal charges.
Another defendant in the lawsuit, John Aaron Rice, is charged with assault.
Their attorneys say they were not involved in a racially-motivated attack.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
