Shirley Cooper, 72, died of 14 stab wounds. Her family wants $14 million to compensate for her death from the owner and operator of Temple Garden Apartments where she lived. A quid pro quo. Except it?s a quid pro quo against the wrong people. The coward who murdered her should be the one paying ? with life in jail. The apartment owner and operator hold some liability for Ms. Cooper?s death if, as the family claims, safety equipment was not working. But no apartment complex can provide complete safety.
And the $14 million lawsuit in Baltimore City Circuit Court against ETG Associates and Roizman Development lacks any sense of proportion. Since when should stab wounds dictate financial compensation? If Ms. Cooper had been murdered by a single gunshot wound, would the family sue for $1 million instead?
Recommended Stories
Justice demands fairness, not the “symbolic amount” requested by the family.
Her death is a tragedy. The justice system must not compound it by making every Maryland resident pay for it ? as each of us pays for outrageous legal settlements through higher rent, higher insurance premiums and higher prices on every item we purchase.
Let the apartment owners pay for any malfeasance. But let justice, not grief, dictate the amount.
