Saying she wants closure, the widow of a Los Angeles County Fire Department engineer shot to death by a colleague at the Agua Dulce station in 2021 is joining county attorneys in opposing any recovery by the other son of the slain firefighter’s late parents.
One of the Chatsworth Superior Court lawsuits was brought in January 2022 by Heidi Carlon, who was married to the late 44-year-old Tory Carlon; her adult daughter, Joslyn Carlon; and Heidi Carlon’s two other daughters, who are minors. Heidi Carlon and her children previously reached settlements with the county and the estate of the gunman, Jonathan Patrick Tatone.
Carlon’s parents, Larry and Bonnie Carlon, also sued the county for wrongful death, but both have since died. The late couple’s other son, Brent Carlon, has taken over as the plaintiff in their case and continues to seek recovery from the county.
On Thursday, county attorneys filed court papers with Judge Gary I. Micon in advance of a Feb. 6 hearing seeking dismissal of Brent Carlon’s wrongful death claim, arguing he cannot prove his parents were financially dependent upon Tory Carlon. The county lawyers also contend that Brent Carlon, because of hearsay rules, cannot testify about any emotional connection between his parents and Tory Carlon.
In addition, Heidi Carlon has submitted a sworn declaration supporting the county’s claim that her former parents-in-law did not receive economic support from her late husband. Specifically, at no time while Tory and Heidi Carlon were married did Larry and Bonnie Carlon count on their son Tory and his wife for the necessities of life, including shelter, clothing, food, medical treatment or utilities, according to Heidi Carlon.
Heidi Carlon, and not Tory Carlon’s parents, were the beneficiaries of his life insurance proceeds when he died, Heidi Carlon further says.
“I object to ongoing efforts by Brent Carlon to obtain a financial recovery based on Tory’s death, which prevents my daughters and me from putting this litigation behind us and obtaining a sense of closure,” Heidi Carlon says.
Of the two adult claimants, Heidi Carlon settled previously for $4.4 million and Joslyn Carlon for $991,500.
Carlon was working at Station No. 81 on Sierra Highway on June 1, 2021, when the 45-year-old Tatone, who also was an engineer, but was off duty, arrived and an argument ensued, authorities said. Tatone subsequently shot Carlon, who later died, and Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Arnie Sandoval, who survived.
Tatone left for his Acton residence, which he set afire before shooting himself to death.
A Carlon family spokesman previously issued a statement regarding the case.
“The failure of the Los Angeles County Fire Department to take action against Tatone, thus ratifying his behavior and leaving Tory Carlon as an easy and vulnerable victim, resulted in a lawsuit by Mr. Carlon’s family against the County of Los Angeles and the estate of Tatone,” the statement read.
In their previous court papers, county attorneys argued that the county was not liable due to governmental immunity and workers’ compensation rules.
But the Carlon family lawyers maintained that Tatone “was an open wound in Fire Station 81, left to fester and infect for years by Los Angeles County Fire Department leadership who chose to ignore, normalize and ratify Tatone’s dangerous conduct.”
Tory Carlon and others consistently warned that Tatone was “unhinged and dangerous,” the Carlon family attorneys further stated in their court papers, adding that supervisors of Tatone and Carlon nonetheless assigned the pair to work together regardless of Tatone’s threatening behavior.