Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his family are suing Vance Boelter, the man accused of shooting him and his wife at their Champlin home last June, before killing former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

The lawsuit accuses Boelter of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and negligence per se, according to the civil complaint filed in Minnesota District Court on Thursday.

On the morning of June 14, 2025, authorities say Boelter had been impersonating a police officer when he shot John Hoffman nine times and Yvette Hoffman eight times. Their daughter, Hope Hoffman, witnessed the attack and "narrowly avoided being struck by bullets," the lawsuit says. Because of the emotional trauma she suffered and to help repair her family home, Hope Hoffman suspended her education.

John and Yvette remained hospitalized in the intensive care unit for approximately six weeks while they recovered from their multiple gunshot wounds. Both sustained permanent injuries from the attack; John Hoffman suffered permanent damage to his digestive and urinary systems and Yvette Hoffman has "longstanding physical weakness that prevents her from performing the physical functions of her previous employment," according to the civil suit. She had been an educator with the Osseo Area School District.

The lawsuit also says Boelter followed Yvette Hoffman as she drove to work on at least one occasion, and that he stalked Hope Hoffman with the anticipation that she would be at the Hoffman home on the night of the attack.

After the attack at the Hoffmans' home, Boelter allegedly visited two other state Democratic lawmakers' homes, but he encountered police at one, and the other was not at home. He then went to Brooklyn Park, where authorities say he shot and killed Melissa and Mark Hortman and their dog, Gilbert.

What followed was a roughly 40-hour search that authorities called the largest manhunt in state history. He was taken into custody near his Green Isle home.

Boelter faces six federal charges, including murder, stalking and firearms violations, for the politically motivated attacks. He pleaded not guilty. If he is convicted of the murder charges, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Boelter appears in court; no decision on death penalty yet

Boelter appeared in federal court in the criminal case Friday morning. Hortman family members and a number of state lawmakers were also at the hearing.

While prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Forbes told the judge he expects the U.S. attorney in Minnesota to make a recommendation within days. If he recommends the death penalty, the U.S. Department of Justice will need to review the case, with a final decision likely by Labor Day.

"The bottom line for all of this is I really don't know what's taking so long. There's been plenty of time for the U.S. Attorney's office to decide, or the Department of Justice to decide, whether or not to pursue the death penalty," said Joe Tamburino, Twin Cities legal analyst. 

Tamburino said, by comparison, when Luigi Mangione allegedly shot United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024, the death penalty was added to that case within a couple of months. A federal judge has since ruled that Mangione will not face capital punishment but does face life in prison. 

"Obviously, the parties want to know, and the judge wants to know because when the death penalty becomes involved, yes, it turns everything up a notch," said Tamburino. 

The death penalty decision is one of the last matters that needs to be settled before the trial can begin.