Naya Rivera's son, Josey, filed a wrongful death lawsuit four months following the Glee actress' accidental drowning in a lake. His father, Josey's father, Ryan Dorsey, and the late actress' estate submitted the paperwork in behalf of the 4-year-old on November 17.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit
They are suing Ventura County and a number of other local departments for the wrongful death of the actress and singer. Dorsey and Rivera's estate filed the complaint in the Ventura County Superior Court and claimed the 33-year-old actress' demise by accidental drowning was preventable.
Rivera died this summer while boating with her son on a Californian lake.
The lawsuit blames Lake Piru and Ventura County's managers for her accidental death on the 8th of July at the lake northwest of Los Angeles.
The suit alleges that visitors were not sufficiently cautioned of the risks of swimming in the lake.
In California, Lake Piru is located in Ventura County in the Los Padres National Forest, reported Newsweek.
The lawsuit was filed for wrongful death, survival, and neglectful infliction of emotional distress. The defendants identified in the case involve the United Water Conservation District, Ventura County, and Parks and Recreation Management.
According to Dorsey's attorney, Amjad Khan, in a statement, "The lawsuit, investigation of which is ongoing, seeks to hold the defendants accountable for their negligence in causing Naya's death and in causing Josey, who witnessed Naya's drowning, to suffer serious emotional distress," reported Yahoo News.
Rivera had rented a pontoon boat on the lake and Josey was alone sleeping on the drifting boat later in the afternoon of July 8. After five days, Rivera's body was discovered floating in a 30-foot-deep area of the lake.
The complaint stated that "when Naya arrived at the Lake Piru Recreational Area, without a shred of information or warning about the dangerous conditions on the lake, she rented a pontoon boat." The rental process merely took minutes and did not include informing Rivera of the dangerous conditions that could occur on the lake involving strong winds, currents, and underwater debris, reported Westminster Times.
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, Rivera's body was possibly trapped in thick vegetation underwater for many days prior to floating to the top.
An autopsy report indicated Rivera was a good swimmer and her death was considered an accident.
On November 16, Dorsey and the estate sought a jury trial against the Parks Management Company, Ventura County, and the United Water Conservation District.
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's department, when the pair decided to take a dip in the water, the unanchored pontoon boat drifted away and the strong current sent Rivera drowning as she attempted to muster enough strength to save Josey's life.
The lawsuit also states that Rivera drowned due to the rented boat lacking adequate safety equipment and no warning signs of the dangerous conditions of the lake, reported CNN.
