Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, has formally requested a new trial. His legal team alleges that false testimony and procedural errors led to his conviction, according to newly filed court documents.
Grounds for the Appeal: Allegations of Misconduct
Chauvin's attorney, Gregory Joseph, submitted a substantial 71-page filing on 20 November, arguing his client was "deprived of his right to due process" under the US Constitution's 14th Amendment. The document contends the original trial was swayed by public pressure and that key evidence was misrepresented.
The filing makes several core arguments. It claims some Minneapolis Police Department officials gave "false and misleading testimony" during the 2021 trial. Furthermore, it alleges jurors were given instructions that "materially misstated the law." Chauvin's team also challenges medical testimony, stating that state witnesses wrongly convinced the jury Floyd died from asphyxia, while the county medical examiner did not reach that conclusion.
Contested Medical Evidence and New Claims
The court documents cite the autopsy report from Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker. His report listed Floyd's cause of death as "cardiopulmonary arrest, complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression." Baker described a multifactorial process involving Floyd's chronic heart disease and the presence of fentanyl.
In a notable addition, Chauvin's attorney references a 2022 book critical of the trial's media coverage and witness testimony. The filing also claims that, since the book's publication, at least 34 current and former Minneapolis officers have provided sworn statements saying the knee-to-neck restraint was part of their training.
A Case That Shook a Nation
Derek Chauvin, now 49, is currently serving a 22-and-a-half-year prison sentence after being convicted of second-degree murder in April 2021. The conviction came nearly a year after the killing of George Floyd on 25 May 2020. The incident, captured on video that spread globally, showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly ten minutes as Floyd repeatedly said, "I can't breathe."
Floyd's death ignited a wave of nationwide and international protests demanding racial justice and significant police reform. The case remains one of the most scrutinised legal proceedings in recent American history.
The Minnesota Attorney General's Office is expected to file a formal response to these new allegations by 4 January. A spokesperson for the office confirmed they will address the claims directly in court. This motion represents the latest in a series of appeals pursued by Chauvin since his initial conviction.
