The family of Donald E. Coates Jr., a 20-year-old Glen Burnie man who was unarmed and naked when he was killed by rookie Anne Arundel Police Officer Timothy Pleasant, is suing Anne Arundel for $10 million. In the Maryland wrongful death lawsuit filed in Circuit Court, Pleasant is accused of…
Gregory Schoenburn and Kimberly Pifer, the widower and daughter of Martha Schoenburn, one of two pedestrians killed in a bus accident on Valentine’s Day in 2007, have settled their wrongful death lawsuit against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for $2.3 million. Martha, an executive assistant, died after she and…
Scott Peterson, the man convicted of murdering his wife Laci Peterson and their unborn son Connor Peterson, will have to stand trial again—this time for a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed by Laci’s parents. The ruling to have the trial go forward was made by a Stanislaus County Superior Court…
In Frederick County, Maryland, the family of Jarrel Gray, the 20-year-old man who died last year after he was shocked with a police Taser twice is suing the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, and Corporal Torres for Gray’s wrongful death. Jeffrey Gray and Tanya Thomas are the plaintiffs…
In Anne Arundel County, Maria J. Lizama-Sanchez, 31, died last week after the minivan she was riding in was struck by a tractor-trailer. Lizama-Sanchez, was about 7 months pregnant, and doctors at Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore had to deliver the baby because of the seriousness of her injuries.…
The surviving family members of Baltimore Police Officer Norman Stamp say they will file a Maryland wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Baltimore. Stamp, 65, was killed after being shot by another Baltimore cop during a brawl outside the Haven Place strip club on April 24. Stamp was off…
In Baltimore, the family of Isaiah Simmons III, 17, has filed a $207 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, the Bowling Brook Preparatory School, and seven counselors at the now-closed private reform school. Simmons died in January 2007 following a confrontation with counselors at the…
The Maryland Attorney General’s Office and the family of a Randallstown man that died after being beaten by correctional officers inside Baltimore’s Central Booking and Intake Center in 2005 have reached a $500,000 wrongful death settlement. Smoot, the father of four children—three of them under 18 years of age—was arrested…
Norman C. Penn, Jr., the father of 16-year-old Brittany Jacks, is suing the District for $25 million following her death. Brittany decomposing body was discovered last January, along with the bodies of her three sisters, ages 5, 6, and 11, in her mother Banita Jacks’ southeast Washington rowhouse. Penn is…
The wife and parents of James E. Dean, 29, and Afghanistan combat veteran, has filed a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Maryland State Police, St. Mary’s County, Calvert County, and Charles County. A Maryland state trooper shot Dean in 2006 following a 14-hour standoff between the veteran and…