Settlement reached in Eli Hart wrongful death lawsuit

MINNEAPOLIS — The father of Eli Hart, a 6-year-old Minnesota boy murdered by his mother in 2022, has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Months after his son’s death, Tony Hart sued Dakota County, along with two specific employees of the county the lawsuit claimed were negligent.
On Tuesday, court documents show Tony Hart accepted a $2.25 million settlement from the county. Of that settlement, nearly $1 million will go to attorneys’ fees while the rest will be distributed to Eli Hart’s father and and grandparents.
Dakota County court records show that Julissa Thaler and Tory Hart were in a custody battle prior to the boy’s death. Eli Hart had been placed into foster care in January 2021 after concerns grew of Thaler’s mental health, her criminal history and living situation. However, Thaler got sole custody of Eli Hart less than two weeks before her arrest.
Eli Hart was found dead in the truck of Thaler’s car in May 2022. His body had been discovered after a traffic stop in Orono. His cause of death was listed as multiple shotgun wounds, with the manner of death being homicide.
Thaler was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found her guilty of first- and second-degree murder for her son’s death.