LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — Relatives of four people killed in a plane crash with Jenni Rivera in Mexico last month are suing the singer’s company, alleging negligence in hiring a faulty plane.
The families of publicist Arturo Rivera, make-up artist Jacob Yebale, attorney Mario Pacheco and hair dresser Gorge Vasquez are also suing several agencies they say contributed to the Dec. 9 plane crash.
Attorneys Paul Kiesel and Steven Ar
cher are representing the families.
They’re seeking punitive damages against Starwood management and Rodatz financial group, the current owners of the Learjet 25.
Previous owner McOco incorporated is also named in the lawsuit.
According to federal aviation records, the jet was built more than 43 years ago. It suffered damage back in 2005.
“The left wing sustained serious damage and we’re getting all the maintenance history on that plane,” Paul Kiesel said at a news conference on Thursday.
Attorneys also raised concerns about the two pilots involved, including a 78-year-old.
“In the U.S., to fly you must be no older than 65 years old,” Kiesel remarked.
The other pilot, a 20-year-old, may not have had the credentials to fly the jet in the first place, according to the attorneys.
“He wasn’t certified. Sure he had experience — a lot for a 20-year-old — but he didn’t have certification to fly that plane,” Kiesel said.
Rivera’s family is not listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. However, a company that she owned, Jenni Rivera Enterprises, is named as a defendant.
Attorneys say they’re not seeking punitive damages against Rivera’s company.
It may take months for this lawsuit to go to court. One of the first steps is awaiting the NTSB’s final report on the cause of the cause of the crash, which killed Rivera and six others.
Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera died when the small plane she was traveling in with at least five others crashed in the mountains of northern Mexico.
42 Comments to “Lawsuit Filed in Jenni Rivera Plane Crash”
January 10, 2013 at 8:49 AM
Hopefully the lawsuit will be dismissed, and these bottom dwelling illegals will get nothing and like it.
January 10, 2013 at 9:31 AM
your an idiot
January 10, 2013 at 10:09 AM
You're the idiot because you can't even spell loser.
January 10, 2013 at 10:25 AM
both of you are idiots that can't base whats really going on other than race. Dont have thoughts of your own and thats what your gonna bash me on, my spelling come on dont be so pathetic.
Cant you have an intellectual converstion with real facts behind instead of jumping to race first!
January 10, 2013 at 6:16 PM
Your punctuation is bad too.
January 10, 2013 at 10:07 AM
ScottyBoy you are such a DOUCHE BAG!!!!! Youre probably an unemployed useless man, oops meant to type Useless Boy with nothing better to do.
January 10, 2013 at 11:48 AM
look white boy, shut your face cracker. go to texas, where the rest of your family is from. we don't need stupid fucks in california you gringo.
January 10, 2013 at 6:19 PM
How about you hop the border back into Mexico? California doesn't need a bunch of illegal beaners like you. Tired of wetback losers like you everywhere. Cant get away from all the Spanish speaking Mexicans EVERYWHERE. Texas isn't much better, too close to Mexico.
January 10, 2013 at 12:32 PM
Hey ignorant douche bag before you insult have some respect and educate yourself Jenni Rivera was born in Long Beach. Her entire family and the families of all those who died on that plane were all citizens in the states. Do yourself a favor and open up a book instead of making ignorant remarks until then go f*** yourself buddy
January 10, 2013 at 3:52 PM
How does that bait taste, ya'll?
You people still haven't learned to spot a troll, have you?
January 10, 2013 at 9:06 AM
Jenny Rivera was born and raised in Long Beach!!! She was not an illegal!!! I was not a fan but I had to comment because it is very upsetting that somehow it becomes about race or status!!! I support the lawsuit, not as a fan but as a human being!!!!
January 10, 2013 at 9:18 AM
It was a plane crash!! How low can someone be to make it about money. Money is more important than human life now days.
January 10, 2013 at 9:47 AM
True, it was a plane crash. However, Starwood Management deserves to be sued!! Evidence shows that records regarding the Learjet in question had been manipulated. As well as other records regarding the company. My heart goes out the families of the victims.
January 10, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Scottyboy i dont want to be a racist like you when I grow up. You must live a very sad life.
January 10, 2013 at 10:00 AM
To the Anonymous poster from above, you are indeed correct that Jenni was NOT an illegal, but her parents absolutely are, At least there were illegal when she was born here. Either way, this lawsuit is disgusting. People will attempt to sue anyone or anything nowadays if it means free money.
January 10, 2013 at 3:51 PM
Where do you think your ancestors were born? As i recall these american land were all native land ?So any white person here migrated from the Europeans . So what does that make you ?
January 10, 2013 at 3:57 PM
Everyone in the US has or had family that migrated to the US that what makes us the UNITED
January 10, 2013 at 6:28 PM
Yes but we migrated here when it was legal. Most of us didn't hop the border to live here illegally and suck money out of the system without paying taxes.
January 11, 2013 at 11:08 AM
Legal ?? Did you forget how you got here ? what did you do to blacks and the natives ? Let me see see White man use blacks as slaves to work for them for free, till this day white man use illegals to work for them and pay them cheap plus cheat them out from having their breaks I don't think that is legal but you guys still do it ? Lets see wait i almost forgot when you first migrated to the natives land you brought diseases and kill many natives not just that you white man took advantage of them took alot of their gold, pretty much cheated them out i think that is call stealing ? Then after natives teach you all of you white man how to farm you end up killing them but till this day you you still celebrate Thanks Giving like if was something good but now you have them living in small villages where all the trash ends up being dumb thats not right or is it ? So if you came to this land and took advantage of its riches and made your self rich by cheating people out Why can't people do the same now ?
January 11, 2013 at 11:14 AM
you may of not hop the border but you sure did cheated and steal from natives and use blacks as slaves just to make yourself s powerful I think that's is worse then hoping the border> Don't worry you white man will continued to get richer all this illegal want is opportunity to live a better life not a rich life a better life.
January 11, 2013 at 11:17 AM
you migrated here but us natives didn't have to migrate this was our home our lands but you white man cheated and steal from us made it your lands…
January 10, 2013 at 4:05 PM
Let me ask then if the plane went down because it wasnt being properly maintained, your telling me no one should be to blame. How stupid are you people.
January 10, 2013 at 11:32 AM
Wow-these comments are very disrespectful to the families involved!
The company manipulated the records of the aircraft.
The company MUST be held responsible. The only way is to sue them.
January 10, 2013 at 11:43 AM
FOR UR INFO UN-EDUCATED PPL WE ARE ILLEGAL!!! DIDNT U HAD HISTORY IN SCHOOL??? EVEN IF WE ARE CITIZENS!!! STUPID PPL SERIOUSLY!!! WELL AT LEAST THE SO CALL ILLEGALS DONT GO ON KILLING SPREES!!!
January 10, 2013 at 6:30 PM
Yes they do. Mexican gangs are everywhere and the drug lords in Mexico are killing people and causing problems in the US. What can I expect from this website though. I would watch MSNBC or CNN if I wanted to be as ignorant as most of you.
January 10, 2013 at 9:49 PM
yet you are here, on KTLA
January 11, 2013 at 10:11 AM
Yes it is my fault for wanting to read the news. Did not expect to come across a bunch of liberal low lifes.
January 10, 2013 at 11:52 AM
FUCK IGNORANT, REPUBLICAN, WHITE, STUPID PEOPLE. YOU GUYS ARE MAD BECAUSE WE (THE ILLEGALS) FUCK YOUR WIVES WHILE YOU'RE A T WORK
_EL Sancho_
January 11, 2013 at 12:11 PM
Really…..El Sancho…..I thought you guys just mowed my yard and blew the clippings next door when I was at work. If you are really scoring all of the wives, plus mowing yards, then good for you.
January 10, 2013 at 12:49 PM
We all bleed red. what does race have to do with anything! I do belive the mexicans were here first.if not to bad. They are still human beings!! a lot nice then some races.
January 11, 2013 at 12:09 AM
Because the red is actually taco sauce!
January 10, 2013 at 3:26 PM
Kaitlyn. I agree that Kathy`s story is surprising… on thursday I bought a great new Lancia when I got my cheque for $9209 this past five weeks and would you believe, $10 thousand lass month. it's by-far the nicest job Ive ever done. I actually started 7-months ago and right away startad making over $84… p/h. I work through this link,……… BIT40.ℂOℳ
January 10, 2013 at 4:28 PM
It's funny how this story went from the lawsuit of her family sueing the aircraft company of a faulty plane to a racist dialogue. There's always someone saying demeaning comments to get the rest of us going. Just ignore him. He's probably some neo-nazi anyway.
January 10, 2013 at 7:25 PM
He's an asshole…we as Americans always take care of are Owen . 7 people died a horrific death that's the bottom line …its not about the money it's about finding the people responsible ASSHOLE.. The family has money .
January 10, 2013 at 10:13 PM
Technically it wasn't a horrific death if you look at the facts. They took a 38,000 foot nosedive at about 600 mph. That leads me to believe it was pretty quick and painless. Better than cancer anyway.
January 10, 2013 at 10:32 PM
Lawsuits suck! Destroying America…. Does the family really need money? It's not going to bring her back.
January 11, 2013 at 9:06 AM
John, it is quite likely (since these were people who worked for Ms. Rivera, that the families do indeed need money. These people were, in all likelihood, the breadwinners for their family. If an old and poorly maintained aircraft crashed because it failed in mid-air or if a 78 year old pilot made an error that caused it to crash, those families should receive compensation from the responsible party. If a driver ran a red light and slammed into your car and killed a loved one, I'm sure you would expect that individual's insurance company and that person themselves to take responsibility for what they did wrong. If my son throws a ball through the neighbor's window – we pay to fix it. Walking away and saying deal with it yourself is irresponsible and wrong.
January 11, 2013 at 12:21 PM
Personally I think they should sue the two things that are responsible for this accident……the mountain and gravity.
January 11, 2013 at 3:55 PM
Wasn’t there an article saying that she was involved with drug gangs and that’s why she was killed on the plane? Why should we feel sorry for a criminal? Good riddance.
January 11, 2013 at 8:23 PM
Another wetb@ck looking for free money. She was not all that as a career, if she was she would have bought a new jet, not a 1969. Good by anchor brat, next story.
January 16, 2013 at 8:13 AM
The jets company should be sued and jenni,s family as well seek money. Plane company's should be held responsible. And to a dumb ass racist I believe they all were legal dumb stupid hillbilly. People like you should be going first instead of great people like her