The parents of a young man found dead in Demi Moore‘s swimming pool in 2015 are suing the trust that owns the property and the person who was hosting a party when the accident occurred, but the actress isn’t named in the complaint.
Jorge and Maria Valle, the father and mother of 21-year-old Edenilson Steven Valle, brought the lawsuit Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the Tree House Trust, trustee Bessy Wong and Lenny Hernandez, identified in the complaint as the party host and house manager.
They are seeking unspecified damages on wrongful death/negligence allegations.
Neither Hernandez nor a representative for the trust could be immediately reached for comment.
Authorities said previously that the July 19, 2015, death of the plaintiffs’ son at the Beverly Hills residence was accidental. However, the suit states that when he arrived at the home, the young man announced that he could not swim, making it unlikely he voluntarily entered the deep end of the pool.
The suit alleges that Hernandez “hosted a party with alcohol” and that there were “abundant dangerous conditions at the premises” for which Valle received no warning, including the depth of the pool, which reaches nine to 10 feet at one point.
“House manager Lenny Hernandez knew there was drinking that night and in fact she was serving alcohol at a party which was unsafe to host,” according to the lawsuit.
There were no depth markers on the pool and “likely” no functioning lights, the suit alleges. There also were numerous decorative rocks that were hazards because of the possibility someone could trip on them, the suit states.
Authorities said Moore, now 54, and her daughters, as well as other relatives, were not at her residence in at the time. The actress later released a statement saying she was in “absolute shock.”
“I was out of the country traveling to meet my daughters for a birthday celebration when I got the devastating news,” the actress said. “The loss of a child is an unthinkable tragedy and my heart goes out to this young man’s family and friends.”
— City News Service