An ugly and very public dispute between the family of Eric Garner and his girlfriend Jewel Miller has taken a new low. Miller is the mother of Garner’s 2-year-old daughter, Legacy, and had a three-year relationship with him prior to his death. Garner was married at the time to Esaw Garner and had four children. His widow acknowledged that she was aware of the relationship and the child. Last year, she told the media that she wanted no relationship with Miller or her daughter saying, “As far as her being accepted into our family, that’ll never happen. We know that’s her baby and fine, that’s what she’s entitled to.” A DNA test has proved that Legacy is his daughter and is in line to get the largest share of a pending settlement.
The Garner family reached a $5.9 million settlement with the city of New York over the chokehold death of Eric Garner in July 2014. Officer Daniel Pantaleo choked Garner while he was selling loose cigarettes on a street corner. The incident was captured on cellphone video and made international news. His death sparked the #ICantBreathe hashtag and ushered in the Black Lives Matter movement. The family insists that Miller and her daughter should get no part of the settlement. There is a case pending in court on how the money should be split.
But threats by Garner’s oldest daughter, Erica, on social media has Miller in fear for her life. According to one media outlet, Garner recently posted:
“Who wanna slap jewel fa me? … So if your reading this post and standing next to her smack the s–t out of her and remind her she was a side piece and nothing more.
“Jewel miller is an embarrassment to my dad’s legacy she never in the paper for anything positive just gossip and negative petty s–t.”
In response, Miller’s lawyers have asked Staten Island Surrogate Court Judge Robert Gigante to issue a restraining order against Erica Garner. Judge Gigante has not yet reached a decision on the request for the order. He will also be the judge who will decide how the settlement money is split between Garner’s heirs.
