Widow of Octavio Dotel Launches Legal Action Against Jet Set Owners
Santo Domingo – Massiel Javier Almonte, widow of former Major League player Octavio Dotel, has filed a formal lawsuit with the Prosecutor’s Office of the National District. The legal action is directed against the owners of the Jet Set nightclub, the place where the tragic collapse occurred that caused the death of her husband and 234 other people.
This action is added to the 41 lawsuits filed as a result of the collapse of the nightclub roof, an event that took place on the morning of April 8 during a performance by merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who also lost his life in the event.
The complaint was filed in the Citizen System Service Department, in coordination with the Prosecution Directorate of the Public Ministry. Javier Almonte’s complaint joins 17 others with civil actor status and 24 complaints, two of them for robbery of victims during the chaos of the incident.
The defendants are Antonio Espaillat López, his mother Ana Grecia López, and his company Inversiones E y L, owners of the establishment. The legal proceedings allege gross negligence, mentioning structural problems and the alleged installation of heavy equipment on the roof, factors that would have contributed to the disaster.
The plaintiffs are seeking multi-million dollar compensations and have requested the Public Prosecutor’s Office to impose pre-trial detention as a coercive measure against the accused. Some actions include the Dominican State and the National District City Council, for alleged non-compliance in their supervisory and security functions.
In a parallel development, Brian Saldaña, production director of the Color Visión channel, announced his intention to file a class action lawsuit in the United States.
Meanwhile, Zulinka Pérez, daughter of the legendary merengue singer Rubby Pérez, has expressed her intention to sue the owners of Jet Set.
