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Parents of Teen Who OD'd at Electric Daisy Carnival Suing Coliseum and Event Promoters
Sasha Rodriguez (Family photo)
The parents of Sasha Rodriguez, the 15-year-old girl who died of an Ecstasy overdose in June 2010 after attending the Electric Daisy Carnival at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, have filed suit against the event promoter and the group that operates the venue.The suit calls out the promoter, Insomniac, and the Coliseum Commission for being negligent in their supervision of the rave-like concert event. The L.A. Times adds:
The suit also names former Coliseum events manager Todd DeStefano, whom Insomniac employed as a consultant while he held the stadium job, and two private companies he formed. Those companies received at least $1.8 million in payments from firms that also did business with the Coliseum.
The plaintiffs allege that Insomniac and DeStefano tried to bump up the event attendance to beyond what was reasonable, and point to DeStefano's "divided loyalties" as part of the reason why the Electric Daisy Carnival was poorly staffed with security and emergency medical personnel. They are hoping to make an example of Insomniac's choices and are seeking punitive damages.
The family made steps towards the lawsuit filed yesterday in late 2010 when they filed an initial claim against the Coliseum Commission.
Rodriguez collapsed amid the crowds at the rave-style event, and died at the hospital, where doctors determined the girl had taken ecstasy, and was suffering from severe dehydration that resulted in shock when her body was flooded with fluids. The Los Angeles County coroner ultimately ruled her death an ecstasy overdose.
In response to the claim, Insomniac issued a statement via their lawyer yesterday saying that the complaint is "riddled with inaccuracies."
"The case is completely without merit, and we look forward to defending the matter in court, where we are confident that Insomniac will prevail," says Insomniac.
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