Kyle Rittenhouse sued by estate of man he shot in self-defense

Kyle Rittenhouse is being sued by the estate of Joseph Rosenbaum, one of the men whom Rittenhouse shot in self-defense. 

The estate filed the lawsuit on Friday, coinciding with the third anniversary of the death of Rosenbaum, 36, in Kenosha, Wisc., during protests sparked after police shot a black man, Jacob Blake.

In addition to Rittenhouse, the lawsuit also names multiple Kenosha officials, county sheriff's agencies and several cities and counties in the area. The lawsuit includes 15 claims, including that the defendants violated the constitutionally protected rights of Rosenbaum and the other protesters and that the defendants "intentionally or recklessly caused severe emotional distress," among other things.

In November 2021, a Wisconsin jury acquitted Rittenhouse of murdering Rosenbaum and 26-year-old Anthony Huber.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the incident, received support from conservative influencers online after Rosenbaum's estate filed the lawsuit.

"I stand with my friend @ThisIsKyleR and *every* conservative they’re all coming after, trying to destroy our rights and reputations and lives," conservative attorney Jenna Ellis posted Friday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Others, such as Texas Republican congressional candidate Brandon Herrera, producer Alex Lorusso and former Texas Republican state Rep. Jonathan Strickland posted photos of themselves posing with Rittenhouse and voicing their support for him.

Follow Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.