Defendant in fatal Aurora fire seeks removal from suit
One of the defendants in the lawsuit filed over a May fire in Aurora that killed six wants to be removed from the case.
Rodolfo Corral states in court filings that he never maintained the 10-unit apartment on the 700 block of Claim Street, has been disabled and retired for 25 years and that his daughter, Lucilla Ayala, owns the building.
“I have some medical conditions that deprive me from working,” Corral wrote in court papers.
The May 15 fire was the worst in the city's history. Killed were Francisco Marcos Sr., his wife Micaela Perez, their kids Francisco, Jr., 6, and Jose Marcos, 9; and Christina Dominguez Navarro, 35, and her 8-month-old son, Alex Gonzaga, who lived in a separate unit.
The lawsuit, filed by relatives of the deceased, names Jose Roberto Ayala and Lucilla Ayala, both of Beloit, Wis.; Ruben Renteria of Aurora; and Corral, also of Aurora, as defendants, and seeks more than $50,000 damages.
The suit claims the Ayalas owned the building and Corral and Renteria were employees who maintained the building.
The suit charges the four with negligence for not providing, inspecting or installing smoke detectors. Other allegations are that the apartments units didn't have adequate escapes and they failed to provide automatic closing doors on the apartment units.
No criminal charges have been filed in the response to the fire.
The case is set for an initial hearing Thursday in Geneva before Kane County Judge Robert Spence.