A musician who alleges the onetime owner of an El Segundo-based private investigation firm stabbed him during a confrontation sparked by the defendant’s dogs defecating on the plaintiff’s lawn is suing his assailant.
Abel Murillo and his wife, Filomena, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Steven Conaway, the former owner of Conaway Investigations. The suit alleges assault and battery, negligence, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
Conaway, reached Wednesday, said he swung at Abel Murillo with a knife in self-defense after the plaintiff slugged him with a closed fist. He said one of his two Akitas defecated on public property and not on Murillo’s lawn. He said he picked up the fecal matter with a bag he was carrying and put it a trash can that did not belong to the Murillos.
“He went to the hospital and I went to jail,” the 67-year-old Conaway said.
Conaway said he was convicted of a felony count of assault with a deadly weapon and placed on probation. He denied allegations in the lawsuit that his background helped him avoid more jail time.
According to the lawsuit, the 60-year-old Abel Murillo approached Conaway about 3:15 p.m. Aug. 2, 2013, after seeing the defendant’s dogs defecate on the plaintiff’s grass at his home near Hawthorne. Murillo had argued with Conaway over previous such incidents, the lawsuit alleges.
“It was obvious to plaintiffs that … Conaway was simply doing this to further anger plaintiffs,” the lawsuit states.
Murillo alleges Conaway stabbed him in the chest near his heart as well as in his left elbow and hand. Sheriff’s deputies arrived later and arrested Conaway, the suit states.
Murillo played guitar and made about $300 each weekend, according to the lawsuit.
“Plaintiff Abel is an accomplished musician who formed part of a musical group,” the lawsuit states. “The joy of playing his guitar is gone forever.”
Murillo suffered a stroke in 2007 that affected the right side of his body and he now has disabilities so severe that he cannot perform simple chores around home, the suit alleges.
In addition to loss of consortium, Murillo’s 48-year-old wife suffered emotional distress from witnessing the attack while present with the couple’s minor daughter, according to the lawsuit.
— City News Service