Melissa Banda lawsuit against McAllen PD gets dismissed

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A lawsuit filed by the family of a woman who was killed by her ex-husband against the McAllen Police Department has been dismissed.

_{Melissa Banda. (Source: McAllen Police Department )}

Cynthia Banda, the sister of Melissa Banda, who was killed by her ex-husband in 2020, filed a lawsuit in October 2023. The lawsuit accused the McAllen Police Department of discrimination and having a policy of treating domestic violence cases involving women less seriously than other types of assaults.

On July 3, the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, and all relief requested by the family was denied.

A memorandum and recommendation filed in May recommended the motion to dismiss be granted. It stated that the court disagrees that Banda's experience with the police department was evident of a pattern of how they treated women and/or Hispanic women.

"Melissa's experience, while tragic, says nothing about how the McAllen Police Department deals with other types of assaults," the document stated.

The document continues, stating that Banda's family failed to plead facts showing that discrimination against women was a motivating factor for the policy.

_{Richard Ford after being sentenced to life without parole (Photo taken by Emiliano Pena)}

"[Banda's sister] does not allege any facts showing that the City of McAllen had an intent to discriminate against women," the document stated.

The lawsuit stated that Banda called McAllen police nine times before she was kidnapped and killed.

In March, Ford was convicted of kidnapping and capital murder in the killing of Banda. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.