Suits Filed In Rivera Crash

The families of four associates killed in the Mexico plane crash that also took the life of singer Jenni Rivera have filed suit in Los Angeles against the Learjet’s owners, claiming the 43-year-old aircraft was not safe and its pilot not certified for flight.

They assert the plane, with a history of damage, was commonly referred to as a “bucket of bolts,” and was in “defective condition” before the Dec. 9 flight in which Rivera and six others, including the pilots, died, according to the New York Daily News.

The owners should have known pilot Miguel Soto, 78, was not certified to carry paying passengers or fly in regulated airspace above 18,000 feet, and 20-year-old co-pilot Alejandro Torres was not rated to fly the Learjet 25 at all, according to the lawsuit.

Paul Kiesel, an attorney for the four families, announced the suit at a press conference in Los Angeles Jan. 10.

“It is hard to imagine an explanation of why a plane flying at 28,000 feet simply dropped out of the sky (without) some significant act, probably of gross negligence,” Kiesel was quoted by the Daily News.

The Learjet was owned by Starwood Management of Las Vegas, and questions have been raised about company exec Christian Esquino because of a past that includes serving prison time for altering aircraft safety records and suspicion of being involved in the drug trade.

The lawsuit names four defendants including Rivera’s corporation. It seeks punitive damages against Starwood as well the plane’s previous owner. Rivera Enterprises was named because of its role in choosing to fly in the plane, according to the Los Angeles Times.