Nov 12, 2008 7:50 pm US/Pacific
SF Zoo Tiger Attack Survivors File Federal Lawsuit
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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Paul Dhaliwal, left, walks in front of Kulbir Dhaliwal at the funeral for Carlos Sousa Jr.
CBS
Two brothers who survived a Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo are suing the zoo and others in federal court.
Kulbir and Amritpal Dhaliwal have filed the suit against the city and county of San Francisco, the police department, the zoo and a public relations firm hired by the zoo in the days after the attack.
Their friend, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., was killed when a Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped its grotto and mauled the three on Dec. 25.
The Dhaliwals' suit contends that the tiger enclosure was lower than recommended national standards. It also claims that the zoo started a smear campaign against the Dhaliwal brothers following the attacks.
San Francisco City Attorney's Office spokesman Matt Dorsey said Wednesday that he couldn't comment on the lawsuit because he had not seen it yet.
Dorsey said it was not a surprise that the Dhaliwal brothers filed suit because they had filed a claim against the city of San Francisco on March 27 that was a precursor to a lawsuit. The city denied the claim on May 8.
However, Dorsey said he was somewhat surprised that the suit was filed in federal court instead of state court, which may indicate that the basis for the suit is different than the basis for the claim.
In denying the claim, the San Francisco City Attorney's office said in a letter it sent to the brothers that an investigation by the city "has revealed no indication of liability on the part of the city and county."
Sam Singer, the San Francisco Zoo's spokesman, said Wednesday that "there's absolutely no truth to any of the claims" against him, the city or the zoo.
"We represented the zoo admirably and we provided factual information as best we knew it to the news media," Singer said.
Sousa's family also has filed a claim, which was rejected by the city attorney's office. If the two sides do not settle, the family has until the end of the year to file a lawsuit. The family's attorney, Michael Cardoza, couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
In a separate criminal matter, Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Ann Diem filed five felony counts against Amritpal Dhaliwal on May 20 alleging that he shoplifted electronic equipment and video games from Target stores in San Leandro, Hayward and Livermore between March 24 and March 27.
Diem said Wednesday that Amritpal Dhaliwal was scheduled to have a preliminary hearing in Superior Court in Hayward Thursday morning.
She said he hadn't yet had a preliminary examination date or a trial date set.
According to Diem, the charges against Amritpal Dhaliwal are three counts of commercial burglary and two counts of grand theft.
(© 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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