By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
The wife of Oakland County Sheriff’s Office deputy Eric Overall, who was killed in the line of duty on Nov. 23, 2017, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Sonja Overall’s suit lists Oakland, Lapeer and Genesee counties as defendants, as well as four Lapeer County Sheriff deputies and Christopher Berak, who is currently serving life in prison for the murder of Eric Overall.
The suit alleges that Eric Overall was deprived of his civil, constitutional and statutory rights due to actions of the defendants.
Berak was pursued by both Lapeer County and Genesee County deputies in a slow speed chase due to concerns he was mentally unstable after Berak had proclaimed he was God at the Lapeer County Jail and that his followers needed to be released.

The chase continued into Oakland County, and deputies in Brandon Township were asked to put out stop sticks, which Overall did. He was then struck in the early morning hours by Berak’s vehicle and sustained fatal injuries.
The lawsuit further alleges that Lapeer and Genesee counties failed to train officers in regard to slow speed pursuits, and that Oakland County’s failed to train officers on safe deployment of stop sticks, stating that, “The risk to Deputy Overall was so obvious that Oakland County had to have known about it.”
It also stated that “Upon information and belief, Oakland County has not permitted its officers to keep stop sticks or spike strips in their police cruisers since Deputy Overall’s death, due to the inherent danger stop sticks and spike strips pose to their officers and to the general public.”
The four deputies named in the suit, all Lapeer County Sheriff Deputies at the time of Eric Overall’s death, are accused of gross negligence in their pursuit of Berak as well as in asking Eric Overall to put out stop sticks at all.
Sonja Overall’s lawsuit asks for an amount greatly in excess of $75,000, plus punitive damages, attorney’s fees, costs, and interest.