![Jenny Rivera at the Pepsi Center, August 22, 2009. Photo by Julio Enriquez/CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.](https://i0.wp.com/mynewsla-newspack.newspackstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Jenni-Rivera-16-9.jpg?ssl=1)
Lawyers for one of the pilots and four members of Jenni Rivera’s entourage, who died along with her in the 2012 crash of a Learjet near Monterrey, Mexico, told a judge Tuesday they are trying to settle the portion of the case against the singer’s company and the firm that maintained the plane.
Killed with Rivera were her publicist, Arturo Rivera; makeup artist Jacobo Yebale; hairstylist Jorge Armando Sanchez Vasquez; Mario Macias Pacheco, her attorney; and the two pilots.
Family members of those in the entourage, as well as pilot Miguel Perez Soto, are plaintiffs in a consolidated lawsuit against the owner of the plane, Starwood Management LLC, and Jenni Rivera Enterprises Inc.
The entourage family members also sued Duncan Aviation Inc., which maintained the 1969 Learjet 25.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys declined to talk about the progress of the settlement talks. If the part of the case against Jenni Rivera Enterprises and Duncan Aviation is resolved, it would leave Starwood as the remaining defendant.
However, Kendig today granted a motion striking Starwood’s answer to the part of the case filed by the Rivera entourage’s family members. That opened the door for a possible default judgment against Starwood after the rest of the case is resolved either through settlement or through trial.
Starwood last took part in the case in February, when Kendig granted a request by attorney Mark Velasquez to withdraw from the case. Velasquez said a dispute arose between him and Starwood over his pay.
Kendig scheduled a hearing on the default issue for Dec. 10.
The crash occurred about 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 9, 2012 — 15 minutes after takeoff — in the mountains of northern Mexico. Rivera had just performed in Monterrey and was on her way to Mexico City to appear on the Mexican version of “The Voice.”
Rivera’s husband, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Esteban Loaiza, filed a separate wrongful death suit against Starwood. His attorneys also are seeking a default judgment against Starwood.
Rivera dominated the banda style of regional Mexican music popular in California and northwestern Mexico. She was one of the biggest stars on Mexico television and was popular on “regional Mexican” stations in California.
— City News Service