DETROIT -- A federal judge found that the city of Detroit may have knowingly destroyed evidence in the Tamara Greene case.

Greene was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2003. It was rumored that she danced at a never-proven party at the Detroit mayor's Manoogian Mansion that was thrown by then-mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in 2002.

Her family has filed a lawsuit against the city claiming Kilpatrick and other high-ranking city officials thwarted the investigation into her death.

The family's attorney, Norman Yatooma, said the city has repeatedly withheld records in the case and that evidence related to the case has been intentionally destroyed, specifically e-mails sent between officials on city-owned computers.

Now, the federal judge has said the jury should be told that the evidence may have helped the Greene family's case.

The judge also says that the city of Detroit should have to pay the legal bills for the family and Yatooma, who is suing the city for $150 million.

According to the court filings, the judge said it would be "a gross understatement to say that the city acted in bad faith and was at fault in causing the destruction of evidence"

The judge said Kwame Kilpatrick, Christine Beatty, Ruth Carter and Ella Bully-Cummings sent emails while in office that they did not delete. The court said the emails are not on the city's servers, where they should be.
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