Log In | Register
1 Comment
Printadvertisement
SAN FRANCISCO — Officials said Monday the city is not liable for the death of a San Jose teenager who was attacked by an escaped tiger on Christmas Day at the San Francisco Zoo.
The city instead referred a claim filed by the parents of 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. to the San Francisco Zoological Society, which manages the zoo, and to the society's insurance company, according to a letter issued by City Attorney Dennis Herrera.
Herrera responded similarly in May to claims filed by brothers Kulbir and Paul Dhaliwal, two friends of Sousa who also were mauled by the tiger.
The city's denial now opens the door for the Sousa family to file a lawsuit within six months, according to state law.
The family's lawyer, Michael Cardoza, said they plan to sue the city and the zoo operators, but he would not say how much money they would seek.
"The city owns the animals and owns the property. They don't get to abrogate their responsibility by pointing to the zoo. They can fight about who is responsible," Cardoza said.
He said the Sousas were very emotional after reading reports last week that the Siberian tiger, named Tatiana, had lost 50 pounds since her arrival from a zoo in Denver two years ago. Zoo officials denied the tiger, who was fatally shot after the maulings, was underfed.
"I think because of the feeding they do publicly, they want their animals to be voraciously hungry so it makes a better show," Cardoza said.
Herrera's spokesman Matt Dorsey said Monday's letter was just a procedural step that occurs in most cases involving civil litigation against government entities.
"This is not a qualitative judgment on the seriousness of this tragedy, and it is in no way seeking to minimize the loss suffered by the Sousa family," Dorsey said.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
1 Vote- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
Published to:
- Amanda Fehd's Column, All of Newsvine
- Groups: none
- Regions: United States , San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
- Public Discussion (1)
- Public Discussion (0)
What's this?
Who's leading the conversation?
This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user
has on the current conversation.
The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd
row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera).
Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group
is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the
left, in their corresponding group.
Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the
number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative
one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their
relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.
0.5
{"commentId":2091904,"authorDomain":"mossberg"}
Absolutely ridiculous. The Souza family, as the parents of a minor, along with the Dhaliwals, should be held liable by the zoo and the city for all costs for the damage to the zoo, the loss of the tiger, and the loss of revenue during the zoo's closing after the incident. Three drunk idiots were responsible for the tiger's escape and the subsequent injuries and death, and those idiots must be held accountable.
{"commentId":2091904,"threadId":"303172","contentId":"1627409","authorDomain":"mossberg"}
#1 - Tue Jul 1, 2008 2:35 AM EDT{"canLink":false,"threadId":"303172","isPrivate":false}
You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.
Start Tracking
Stop TrackingCOMPANY STUFF:
LEGAL STUFF:
- © 2005-2009 Newsvine, Inc. |
- Newsvine® is a registered trademark of Newsvine, Inc. |
- Newsvine is a property of
