A Southern California school district has been ordered to pay $18 million to the parents of an eight-year-old boy with Down syndrome who died five years ago after falling out of a chair in a classroom.
Lawyers for the family of Moises Murrillo announced the successful outcome of the family’s wrongful death lawsuit at a press conference in La Puente, an east Los Angeles suburb where the boy attended Sunset Elementary School.
According to the lawsuit filed by both his parents, Martín Murillo and Roberta Gómez, Moisés was being neglected on May 31, 2017, when he fell backwards, hitting his head on the ground and breaking his neck.
Officials removed the boy from a special adaptable wheelchair and strapped him to a school chair, the suit says.
He suffered cardiac arrest and was taken to a hospital, where he died on June 4, 2017, of a spinal cord injury, according to the lawsuit.
The parents of eight-year-old Moises Murillo, who suffered from severe Down syndrome and died after falling out of a chair during a 2017 summer class, have reached an $18 million settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit against La Puente school district. The angels
Martín Murillo and Roberta Gómez (pictured), the child’s mother and father, filed suit.
Moses fell backwards into a tied-up chair (pictured) and hit his head on the floor before breaking his neck on May 31, 2017
The Hacienda La Puente Unified School District “failed to provide a safe environment” and allowed the vulnerable child to “be inattentive and out of control in the classroom,” the statement reads.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the district did not have policies in place to adequately supervise students with special needs like Moise in and out of the classroom.
County officials did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment seeking details of the settlement on Wednesday.
The family filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2018.
“He was always happy. He always made everyone happy,” Lizbeth Murillo, Moses’ older sister, told NBC Los Angeles.
However, the settlement does not include an admission of guilt on behalf of the school district. Pictured: Sunset Elementary School in La Puente, an East Los Angeles suburb
“He was always happy. He always made everyone happy,” said Moise’s sister Lizbeth Murillo. NBC Los Angeles.
“My brother meant everything to us. “To this day, my mom may look like she’s fine, she’s fine, but she’s not,” she added.
The school district settled the case with the victim’s family just a week before a possible trial.
“We have struggled for years to find some answers about what happened, and this district will not answer any questions about it. Instead, they tried to sweep it under the rug as if nothing had happened,” Vartazarian said.
Moise’s older sister Lisbeth (pictured) told a news conference that the family of four was still dealing with the death of their younger brother five years later.
However, the settlement does not include an admission of guilt on behalf of the school district.
“The question for the school district will be, ‘Are you going to do anything differently as a result of this tragedy here at the school?'” Vartazarian told NBC Los Angeles.
So no, money doesn’t bring everyone together, it doesn’t bring happiness, it doesn’t bring closure. No, it’s not, concluded Moise’s sister Lisbeth.
Source: Daily Mail
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