</s>Case Number: 44-ME - 00 Serial(s): 372 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary: The document outlines FBI directives regarding handling inquiries related to a civil suit filed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s family against the government over conspiracy claims surrounding his 1968 assassination. It references an inquiry initiated in 1998 following a personal plea by Corretta Scott King, Dr. King's widow, to President Clinton. Attorney General Janet Reno authorized an investigation into allegations of conspiracy involving FBI agent Lloyd Jowers and others, who were implicated in the assassination. The Shelby County Prosecutor's Office conducted a seven-month review in 1998 and found no credible evidence supporting conspiracy claims. In October 1998, the King family filed a civil suit against the government, alleging "unknown conspirators." A jury ruled in December 1999 that the government was liable for Dr. King's death, though no specific branch of government was implicated. The Department of Justice requested the FBI to cease investigative leads related to the case and forward any information to DOJ Attorney Barry Kowalski, who oversees the inquiry.  

Key People: Corretta Scott King, Janet Reno, Lloyd Jowers, Barry Kowalski  
Key Locations: Shelby County, Washington D.C., Memphis, Tennessee (implied via context of assassination)  
Key Events: 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1998 civil suit by the King family, Shelby County Prosecutor's Office investigation, 1999 jury ruling against the government  
Key Organizations: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-00_sec_000_ser_372.pdf

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