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Staples Center Wrongful Death Suit Dismissed
A wrongful death lawsuit brought by a family whose 2-year-old plunged to his death at Staples Center after a 2010 Laker game was dismissed Friday, with the judge saying the parents put the boy in an “obviously dangerous situation.”
Judge Susan Bryant-Deason dismissed the suit filed in May 2011 by the parents of Lucas Tang, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Lucas died after suffering massive head injuries in a 50-foot fall from the luxury box after a Lakers game against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 21, 2010.
Before the boy fell, the Tang family was taking pictures in front of the Plexiglas barrier. Lucas fell off the barrier as the family was reviewing pictures, lawyers for Staples Center have said.
Bryant-Deason said in her ruling that even if the arena had a duty to supervise the child, there was no evidence the arena’s actions caused the fall.
Lawyers for Lucas’ family expressed disappointment in the decision and vowed to appeal.
“We are confident that the Court of Appeal will have a very different perspective on the case and that the Tang family ultimately will prevail,” the lawyers said in a statement.
They added that they “hope that the dangerous, unremediated conditions at the Staples Center will not result in another tragedy.”
Lawyers for AEG, which owns the Staples Center, did not immediately provide comment.