Mother of Man Who Died in Ed Buck Drug Case Awarded $2 Million
A Los Angeles federal jury found Democratic donor Ed Buck civilly liable for the drug-related death of Gemmel Moore.
A federal jury in Los Angeles has awarded $2 million to LaTisha Nixon, the mother of Gemmel Moore, a Black gay man who died after being given a lethal dose of methamphetamine during a “party and play” sex session with high-profile Democratic donor Ed Buck.
Following two days of testimony, eight jurors deliberated for about an hour before returning a unanimous verdict in the wrongful death lawsuit.
“I miss my son every single day,” Nixon said in a statement. “This verdict doesn’t bring him back, but…it means closure for me. It means I can fully mourn now. I have not been able to mourn. I have been in fight mode for eight years.”
Moore died of a methamphetamine overdose in Buck’s West Hollywood apartment in July 2017. Buck was later convicted in 2021 on nine federal drug-related charges tied to the 26-year-old’s death and the similar meth-related overdose of another man, 55-year-old Timothy Dean, in the same apartment in January 2019.
In 2022, Buck was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for providing fatal doses of methamphetamine to Moore and Dean. His conviction was upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in October 2024.
Nixon’s attorney, Nana Gyamfi, said the verdict in the wrongful death lawsuit recognized the harm done to Moore and his family.
Another attorney for Nixon, Hussain Turk, said the case raised broader issues about accountability and exploitation, according to WeHo Online.
“Today’s verdict set a precedent,” Turk said in a statement. “The verdict is about holding not just Ed Buck accountable, but West Hollywood accountable for continuing to turn a blind eye to the exploitation of the most marginalized members of the gay community under the guise of ‘partying’ and ‘sexual freedom.'”
“It also says your money and power is no longer a defense against predation,” Turk continued. “Let this verdict be a wakeup call to the entire gay community that it is time for us to…hold ourselves and each other accountable, to love ourselves, to heal collectively and individually from the shame and the isolation that continues to produce monsters like Edward Buck.”
Journalist Jasmyne Cannick, whose reporting drew attention to the case and is credited with applying pressure on police to investigate Buck, also commented on the verdict.
“Ed Buck is already serving time for what he did, but prison was the United States holding him accountable,” Cannick said in a statement. “This verdict is about a jury holding him accountable to Gemmel Moore’s mother. For years Ed Buck moved through Democratic political circles in Los Angeles as a donor and insider while vulnerable Black men were being harmed in his home. Today’s verdict is an important reminder that political affiliation and political money cannot shield anyone from accountability. Gemmel Moore’s life mattered, and his family deserved their day in court.”
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