Following the tragic death of Glee star Naya Rivera, her ex-husband has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of their 5-year-old son Josey.
What We Know:
- Ryan Dorsey (married to Rivera from 2014-2018) along with Rivera’s estate, submitted paperwork for Josey on Tuesday. Their son is suing Ventura County, California, where his mother accidentally drowned in Lake Piru while on a boat trip together. He is also suing the United Water Conservation District and the county’s Park and Recreation Management all for wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
- Over the summer in July, Rivera and her son headed to Lake Piru for a day of fun that soon ended in the unexpected loss of the actress. Josey was found asleep on the boat without his mother who was eventually reported missing. After days of searching, Rivera’s body was found and she was confirmed dead; an autopsy ruled the cause of death as accidental drowning.
- The lawsuit alleges Rivera’s death was preventable. They claim the boat she and Josey were on was not supplied with the proper safety tools in agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard safety standards. A portion of the filed paperwork reads, “[The boat] was not equipped with a safely accessible ladder, adequate rope, an anchor, a radio or any security mechanisms to prevent swimmers from being separated from their boats”. The complaint goes on to explain that further inspection revealed the boat did not have any floatation or lifesaving devices which was a direct violation of California law.
- The documents also point out that besides Rivera who had “strong” swimming skills, Lake Piru has taken the lives of more than two dozen people since 1959. They say there was no sign present at the entrance, the dock, or at Diablo Cove, a popular swimming spot. There were no signs “warning of the lake’s strong currents, low visibility, high winds, changing water depths, underwater caves, ledges and drop offs, or the trees, brush and other debris that congest its waters due to the vastly changing water levels and winds”. According to the lawsuit, there was no sign anywhere.
- Josey’s account of what happened that day is also cited in the complaint. They counted to 3 and then jumped into the water. Rivera helped her son back on the boat but was not capable of getting herself back on board too. The child heard his mother’s cries for help and she just disappeared under water.
Since her passing four months ago, a source revealed in September that Dorsey, now a single parent, is living with Rivera’s sister Nikayla who says Josey needs a mother figure. On an Instagram story she wrote, ″the only thing that is important is…showing up for my nephew even though I can’t show up for myself”.
