Eone has partnered with trial attorney, Chris Stewart to produce new docuseries, “Burden of Justice,” which follows his pursuit of justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and other popular, high-profile police brutality cases.
The civil rights/true-crime series is a result of a series of viral videos showing excessive use of force by police, which attracted worldwide attention. The project was developed and directed by Madison Merritt, eOne’s Executive Vice President, Development, Unscripted, Television, with Stewart serving as an executive producer on the project. Through a mixture of past and present tense storytelling, the series details Stewart’s massive efforts to bring forth justice. It features never-before-seen footage, interviews with families and friends of victims, witnesses, members of Stewart’s team, and Stewart’s perspective.
In addition to representing the families of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, Stewart has represented some of the most widely known civil rights cases in the US, such as the case of Walter Scott, who was shot in the back on video by a police officer and whose case was settled for USD $6.5 million. Stewart also represented Alton Sterling, who was held down and killed on video by police in Baton Rouge. Other high profile cases include Gregory Towns of Georgia, Chase Sherman of Florida, and Deaundre Phillips, who was shot on video by police.
Stewart is recognized as one of the most prominent African-American lawyers in the country. Born and raised in southwest Atlanta, he serves as a board member of the Southern Center in Atlanta for Human Rights. He has received multiple awards, including the Julia Humbles’ Civil Rights Award, the Pinnacle Leadership Award, the Esquire Award, the Wiley Branton Award for Leadership, among many others. He is the only African-American voted Attorney of the Year for the State of Georgia and the only lawyer to receive a billion-dollar jury verdict for a sexual assault victim.