The mother of Latasha Harris, a 31-year-old Baltimore City woman that was murdered in her apartment, is suing the security guard company for wrongful death. The lawsuit, filed in a Maryland court against US Protect Services, is seeking $10 million dollars and accuses the company of not doing enough to stop one of its employees—who happened to be Harris’s live-in boyfriend—from shooting her.
The deadly shooting took place in March in Southwest Baltimore when Harris’s boyfriend, Jerry Bennett, shot her before shooting himself. Bennett had a gun because he was a security guard employed by US Protect Services.
According to the Maryland wrongful death lawsuit, the security guard company should have taken the company-issued weapon away from Bennett after he became violent at work and attacked a coworker.
Harris’s mother is now taking care of her two grandchildren and wants US Protect Services to compensate her family for her daughter’s murder. US Protect Services filed for bankruptcy soon after Harris’s slaying, but her family is hoping to recover compensation from the company’s insurer.
Wrongful death cases can be challenging cases, and there may be more than one party that can be held liable for a loved one’s death. The best way to determine liability is to contact a Maryland wrongful death lawyer about your case.
Maryland Wrongful Death Recovery
In Maryland, the cap on damages for non-medical malpractices wrongful death cases is $680,000 for one claimant. When there are two or more beneficiaries, the cap is $1,020,000. Maryland does not have a cap for economic damages involving wrongful death cases.
Mother Files $10M Lawsuit For Daughter’s Murder, WJZ.com, October 2, 2008
Related Web Resource:
Maryland Wrongful Death and Intestacy Statutes, USdoj.gov (PDF)