A woman that lost her husband of 53 years, that she claims was a “senseless tragedy” caused by others that were “negligent and reckless” in operating a boat, has filed a wrongful death suit seeking millions of dollars from the defendants, as reported by The Hartford Courant.
Resort owner R.S., 73, died during a boating trip with S.L. and T.L. in the Caribbean last August. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed on March 7 and names both S.L. and T.L. R.S’s widow, B.S., is seeking “millions of dollars” in compensatory and punitive damages.
The 70-foot power boat, named “Stew’s Special”, was, per the suit, driven at a “high speed” near the island of Tortola in the Caribbean at the time of the accident. The suit also alleges that the water in that area was considered rough and there was a small craft warning/advisory in place at the time of the trip.
Attorney Joel T. Faxon is representing B.S. in the suit. Faxon is not releasing the exact amount of compensation his client is seeking. He did, however, say, “It will be several million dollars. Obviously he's a very wealthy man, and when the jury makes a decision on punitive damages they have to decide what amount constitutes a punishment for that person. The wealth of a defendant is a factor.”
S.L. is the founder of a large grocery chain.
Carpe Diem Three LLC, the boat’s owner, is named in the suit – and S.L. is a member, per Faxon, of that company.
The lawsuit states that due to the negligence of S.L. and T.L. R.S. was “violently tossed about inside the boat”, injuring his head and spine, and then swept off of the boat.
Faxon said, “The (L.) defendants are responsible for Mr. (R.S.’s) death. This lawsuit, combined with the inquest in Tortola, will answer the many questions that have been raised by (R.S.’s) death at sea. We will seek punitive damages from the (L.) defendants to punish them for this senseless tragedy.”
R.S. was the owner of the Ocean Club in the Caribbean island, St. Maarten. He was also an engineer that had once worked with NASA. Of his client’s personal loss, Faxon added, “(B.S.) was widowed by the (L.) defendants' irresponsibility and they need to account for that.”
In an interview with the Associated Press following the accident, S.L. said that a “rogue wave” between 12 and 15 feet high, which hit the vessel, was what caused R.S. to be flung from the boat and into the water.
Faxon describes S.L. as a “convicted felon” in his prepared statement. The reference is a nod to S.L.’s 1993 guilty plea for tax fraud and his subsequent 52-month long prison term. S.L. admitted to using a computer program to move $17.1 million from his books for over ten years, to save himself a $6.7 million tax bill.
Recovering from the death of a loved one is a difficult process. Contact a personal injury lawyer that will help you in the case of a wrongful death, and in so doing, gain closure as well as monetary compensation.