Mass Tort Update- |
- Philadelphia, PA 215-567-3500
- |
- Red Bank, NJ 732-747-9003
Mass Tort Update
Curtis Lynn Steele v. United States of America
Date: Feb. 2, 2007
Verdict/Settlement (breakdown): $1.7 million settlement ($1 million for John DeMartini, $400,000 for Irene and Darryl Steele, $300,000 for Curtis Steele)
State: California
Background: Curtis Lynne Steele sued the United States in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California for negligence in June 2005 after being involved in an accident with Thomas Leon Rangel, a federal employee, on Sept. 21, 2004.Rangel made an illegal left-hand turn that caused the collision. He was an employee of the Lake County Tribal Health Consortium, which is a corporation under contract with the Indian Health Service, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Steele's partner, Tracy DeMartini, died Sept. 23, 2004, as a result of the collision. They had two children, Brittany Irene Steele and Courtney Marie Steele. DeMartini had another child, Ricki Anne DeMartini.
John DeMartini, on behalf of minors Courtney Marie Steele and Ricki Anne DeMartini, and Darryl and Irene Steele, on behalf of Brittany Irene Steele, filed administrative claims against Rangel and the Health Consortium on May 16, 2005, and June 14, 2005, respectively. These administrative claims were denied, and John DeMartini subsequently filed an action against the Health Consortium in state court. John DeMartini added the United States as a defendant in his state case on Oct. 20, 2005, alleging damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Darryl and Irene Steele also sued the United States in federal court on Oct. 24, 2005.John DeMartini's action was removed from Lake County Superior Court to federal court on Oct. 28, 2005.
All three federal court cases were consolidated in November 2005, and the Health Consortium and Rangel were dismissed by an order on March 13, 2006
| Enter any relevant background information or case specifics so that we can best understand your situation: | ||
|
To Prevent Automated Submissions, Enter the 4 Digit Number Shown Below
(OR YOU MAY CALL US DIRECTLY AT 888-375-7600) |
||
 2945
|
||
Up to date information on car accidents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.