The City of Manteca, California and the police department have been named in a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit.

According to court documents, the lawsuit was filed over the officer-involved shooting death of Ernesto Duenez. The lawsuit alleges that officers wantonly killed Duenez on June 8 when he was “clearly unarmed and not a risk of harm to anyone.”

Attorneys of the Duenez family, John Burris and Ben Nisenbaum, say the killing was a tragedy that appears to have been caused by the reckless conduct of at least one of the Manteca Police Department’s officers. The attorneys claim that press accounts falsely claimed that Duenez had approached officers with a knife, a gun, or a weapon. Burris says several witnesses have refuted the claims that Duenez had a weapon.

In addition to the claim for $25 million in general damages, the Duenez family is also asking the court for special damages in a sum according to proof; punitive damages in a sum according to proof; reasonable attorney’s fees; injunctive relief; cost of the suit incurred; such other and further relief as the court deems just and proper.

If you need assistance with a wrongful death lawsuit, please contact the Pennsylvania wrongful death lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.

A jury in Florida returned a $10 million verdict in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the University of Central Florida’s Athletic Association.

The wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the Univeristy’s Atheletic Association by the parents of Ereck Plancher. Plancher collapsed and died following conditioning drills at the school’s football complex in March 2008. During the trial, Orange County Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany and three experts hired by Plancher’s family testified he died from complications of a sickle cell trait.

The lawsuit claimed school officials, who knew of Plancher’s sickle cell trait, were negligent by forcing the player to complete overly-strenuous practice drills.

The attorney for the Plancher family, Steve Yerrid, says the verdict sends a message that the welfare of student athletes should be at the top of any football program.

University of Central Florida spokesman Grant Hetson says the football program mourns Plancher’s death, but the athletic association will appeal the verdict.

If you need assistance with a wrongful death lawsuit, please contact a Pennsylvania wrongful death attorney of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.

The mother of a Cornell University student who died during an alcohol-related fraternity hazing ritual has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the fraternity.

According to court documents, Marie Lourdes Andre filed a multimillion-dollar wrongful-death lawsuit against the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and its Ithaca chapter officers and members. The fraternity, which was founded in the 1850s, consists of 241 national chapters with about 11,000 undergraduate members.

According to the lawsuit, Andre’s son, George Desdunes, was found by Cornell personnel on February 25 unconscious on a couch at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house in Ithaca and later was pronounced dead. The lawsuit alleges that Desdunes was kidnapped by fraternity pledges in a ritual in which fraternity members bound his wrists and ankles with zip ties and duct tape, quizzed him about fraternity lore, and made him drink alcohol until he passed out.

SAE pledges and members took Desdunes, still bound, to the fraternity house and left him on the couch to die, the lawsuit alleges.

Three former pledges at Cornell pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with the death.

If you need assistance with a wrongful death lawsuit, please contact a Pennsylvania wrongful death lawyer of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.

The family of a Boston man who were killed in the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Logan International Airport.

Bavis, whose twin brother, Mark, died aboard United Airlines Flight 175, which was flown into the World Trade Center’s South Tower by terrorists, filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming the Logan International Airport did not know how to spot Mace and had trouble speaking English.

“What’s really shocking for me is it has taken more than nine years for this to come out,” Mike Bavis said.

According to the lawsuit, security screeners at the United Airlines gate on September 11, 2001 were “unable to identify mace or did not know what mace was.” The lawsuit also claims the general manager for the security company at the gate was “unaware” of a federal alter that “Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network” were targeting American passenger jets. Bavis claims the security workers “could not communicate in English well enough to perform their passenger-screening duties.”

A spokesman for United Airlines refused to comment on the wrongful death lawsuit.

If you need assistance with a similar wrongful death lawsuit, please contact the Pennsylvania FAA Violation Attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.

The family of an Indiana teenager, who died Monday during a field trip, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Friday.

According to court documents, 15 year-old Austin Israel, of Shelbyville, Indiana, had been staying at the Wernle youth and Family Treatment Center, a mental health treatment and counseling facility. On Monday, group from the center, while on a field trip to Richmond, went swimming in the Whitewater River and Israel drowned.

Officials with the Richmond Police Department said Israel was under water for 40 minutes before divers recovered his body. There were two counselors watching the 10 children as they swam. Investigators ruled the teen’s death an accident.

“We have a child who is dead, and that is very sad. I really hope we can get answers and all move forward,” said Everett Powell, attorney for the Israel family. “It’s just too much. I want answers to what happened. Immediately.”

If you need assistance with a wrongful death lawsuit, please contact a Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Attorney of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., at 610-667-7511.

The family of a man killed in a 2010 boating accident in Illinois filed a wrongful death lawsuit Monday against the drivers of the two boats involved.

According to Cook County Circuit Court documents, 41 year-old Bishr Swaiss was killed August 24, 2010, when he fell off an 18-foot boat owned by John G. Fernandez after it was struck by a 17-foot fishing-boat owned by William G. Lunt. The accident occurred on the Calumet-Sag Channel near Calumet Township.

Swaiss was found at the bottom of the Channel and pronounced dead June 20, 2010. According to the medical examiner’s office, an autopsy determined Swaiss died from drowning and his death was ruled an accident.

The lawsuit claims William and Christine Lunt failed to keep a proper lookout, operated their watercraft too fast, and followed too closely. It also claims Lunt failed to stop within the assured clear distance. The suit also contends that Fernandez instructed Swaiss to lean over the side of the boat with a flashlight to look for debris when it was not safe.

The lawsuit, filed by Bhah Swaiss, is seeking more than $150,000 plus court costs from both families.

If you need assistance with a wrongful death lawsuit, please conact the Pennsylvania wrongful death lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.

The family of a former Mississippi football player has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university.

According to court documents, 20 year-old Bennie Abram collapsed during the first day of formal offseason workouts on February 19, 2010. He later died at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford, Mississippi. An autopsy ruled that complications associated with sickle cell trait caused Abrams death.

The lawsuit alleges that Ole Miss was aware of Abram’s sickle cell trait, which could occasionally trigger severe problems after strenuous exercise. The university has previously said all of its employees acted properly in response to Abram’s collapse.

The lawsuit claims the first day of workouts was “carelessly and recklessly excessive,” especially for athletes with sickle cell traits.

If you need assistance with a wrongful death lawsuit, please contact the Pennsylvania wrongful death lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., at 610-667-7511.

The widow of a North Carolina man killed in an auto accident has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against eight contractors over the design of handrails in Boston’s Sumner Tunnel.

According to Suffolk Superior Court documents, 39 year-old Brian Hicks was killed March 27 after he struck a Jersey barrier inside the Sumner Tunnel is Boston, lost control of his pickup truck, and was ejected from the vehicle. Hicks became entangled in the tunnel’s razor sharp handrails. The lawsuit, filed Monday by Donna Hicks, allege that eight Big Dig contractors knew the design of the railings was inherently dangers but failed to take any actions to address the problem.

Donna Hicks’ attorney Barry Feinstein said Hicks, who wasn’t wearing a seat belt and may have been going too fast for the curve, might well have survived the crash if not for the handrails.

Hicks is asking the court for just under $2 million in actual damages plus additional damages to be determined by a jury.

If you need assistance with a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from an auto accident, please contact Pennsylvania car accident death attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed over a tractor-trailer accident in Arkansas.

According to Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division court documents, Lynette Faulkner filed a wrongful death lawsuit against J.D. & Billy Hines Trucking Inc. and Charles Gwin on April 20. Faulkner filed the lawsuit individually and as the administrator of the estate of Timothy Alan Faulkner, who died in a truck accident on February 21.

The crash occurred on U.S. highway 371 near Prescott, Arkansas. Faulkner was driving a 2006 tractor truck with a trailer that was struck by a 2009 Freightliner diesel tractor truck driven by defendant Charles Gwin. Faulkner sustained fatal injuries in the accident.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of failing to keep a proper lookout, failing to apply brakes, failing to take proper evasive action, failing to maintain the proper lane of traffic, failing to yield the right of way, driver inattention, failing to drive at a safe speed, and for operating the tractor-trailer in violation of applicable statutory regulations.

If you need assistance with a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from an auto accident, please contact the Pennsylvania wrongful death attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.

A Massachusetts woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against tobacco company Philip Morris Inc.

According to Worcester Superior Court docuemtns, Brenda L. Haglund filed the lawsuit over the death of her 51 year-old husband, Stephen C. Haglund, 11 years ago. The lawsuit alleges that when Mr. Haglund began smoking cigarettes in the 1970s, Philip Morris could have employed technology that extracted addictive nicotine from the tobacco in cigarettes.

Attorneys for the tobacco giant have argued that the health risks of cigarette smoking are widely known. The defense also claims the technology to extract nicotine from tobacco does not totally remove the nicotine and that the company’s efforts to market a lower-nicotine cigarette were not successful.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reinstated Haglund’s lawsuit in 2006. It had been dismissed by a lower court judge. The Supreme Court ruled that the “personal choice” defense often relied upon by tobacco companies in wrongful death lawsuits could not be used in the Haglund case.

If you need assistance with a wrongful death lawsuit, please contact a Pennsylvania wrongful death lawyer of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.