Family of Ukrainian refugee sues Charlotte over light rail stabbing

The family of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light rail train, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and its private security contractor on Friday, August 21, 2026. The legal action, coming one day before the first anniversary of her death, alleges systemic failures in security and fare enforcement left the transit system dangerously vulnerable.

The lawsuit, filed in Mecklenburg County, names the City of Charlotte and Professional Police Services Inc., which operates as Professional Security Services (PSS). It claims the defendants' negligence directly led to Zarutska's death on August 22, 2025, while she was a passenger on the Lynx Blue Line. The complaint states that no security guards were present on the train at the time of the attack.

According to the filing, Charlotte's contract with PSS funded 219 security personnel for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. However, at the time of the killing, only 183 had been hired. Of the 39 armed guard positions provided for under the contract, just 11 were filled. "They weren't fully staffed," said Lauren Newton, an attorney representing Zarutska's estate. "If there had been a security...