May 29, 2009 8:09 pm US/Pacific
Brothers Settle For $900K In SF Zoo Tiger Attack
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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Tatiana, the siberian tiger that fatally mauled a teenager and two others at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day 2007.
SF Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo reached a $900,000 lawsuit settlement with two brothers who survived a Christmas Day 2007 attack by an escaped tiger that killed their friend, zoo officials confirmed Friday.
The zoo issued a statement saying it was "thankful" the lawsuit with Kulbir and Amirtpal 'Paul' Dhaliwal had been settled. Mark Geragos, the lawyer for the brothers, did not return calls seeking comment Friday.
"It's a positive settlement because it allows everybody to move forward," said spokesman Sam Singer, who was hired to represent the zoo following the incident. He called the $900,000 payment amount a "modest settlement."
"We're very pleased for the San Francisco Zoo and I think it's a good day," he said Friday.
The two brothers survived an attack by Tatiana, a 250-pound Siberian tiger that leapt out of its enclosure Dec. 25, 2007. Their friend, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., was mauled to death. The tiger was then shot dead by police.
Sousa Jr.'s parents also reached a separate settlement with the zoo in February, but its details were not disclosed.
The suit brought by Amritpal Dhaliwal, then 19, and Kulbir Dhaliwal, then 23, against the San Francisco Zoological Society, the city of San Francisco and zoo spokesman Singer was filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco last November.
The lawsuit had claimed the brothers' civil rights were violated, and accused the zoo of negligence and Singer of libel and slander for comments he made to media implying the brothers might have been taunting the tiger.
A revised complaint filed earlier this month had also named the San Francisco Police Department for the alleged unlawful seizure and non-timely return of the Dhaliwals' car during an investigation of the incident.
According to Matt Dorsey, spokesman for the city attorney's office, San Francisco's lease and management agreement with the Zoological Society, which manages the zoo, requires the zoo to insure both itself and the city for all claims.
"The zoo's insurer handled legal defense for both the zoo and the city," Dorsey said. "The settlement agreement is between the Dhaliwals and the zoo's insurer, and no city money is involved."
The Zoological Society expressed relief that the legal ordeal was finally over.
"That tragedy emotionally impacted thousands of people and our hearts go out to them," the zoo's statement issued Friday said. "We would also like to thank all of our zoo supporters for their continual faith in the zoo during these difficult times and their love for the zoo's animals."
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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