News

Judge set to rule on city's effort to end teen death lawsuit

Posted January 22, 2020 6:00 am

By DAN SEWELL

CINCINNATI (AP) - An Ohio judge is ready to rule on whether to move forward with a lawsuit filed by the family of a 16-year-old student who died after being trapped by a fold-up vehicle seat despite making two 911 calls.

Hamilton County Judge Robert Ruehlman plans to decide Wednesday on a motion to dismiss the suit filed by Cincinnati. Ruehlman heard legal arguments last month.

The suit, filed last year, charges the city, a former city official and four city employees with actions it alleges led to Kyle Plush's 2018 death. The lawsuit's goals are to determine what went wrong when police were unable to locate him and to make sure it doesn't happen again, the family said.

The city contends that the employees are protected by governmental immunity and that the lawsuit lacks merit. The city also says it has improved its 911 response system and continues to make improvements.

A trial date has been set tentatively for March 30.

Plush was apparently pinned by a foldaway seat in his family's van and suffocated in a parking lot near his school.

Kyle's father Ron discovered his body nearly six hours after his son's first 911 call, when Kyle warned: 'œI'm going to die soon.'ť

___

Follow Dan Sewell at https://www.twitter.com/dansewell

FILE - In this April 10, 2018 file photo, a minivan is removed from the parking lot near the Seven Hills School campus in Cincinnati. Kyle Plush, a 16-year-old student, died in the vehicle after being trapped by a fold-up seat despite making two 911 calls. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, an Ohio judge will rule on whether to move forward with a lawsuit filed by the family of Plush. The suit, filed last year, charges the city, a former city official and four city employees with actions it alleges led to Plush's 2018 death. (Cara Owsley/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP, File) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Nation and World News

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.