Emery Kauanui Sr. Files Suit Against Son’s Attackers
April 3, 2009 – 11:15 pm PT by MeTags: Bird Rock Bandits, Emery Kauanui, Seth Cravens —
The father of a La Jolla surfer who was fatally beaten during a fight filed a lawsuit yesterday against five young men involved and the bar where some in the group had been drinking.
In the suit, Emery Kauanui Sr. accuses the men of battery and wrongful death, stemming from the May 2007 death of his 24-year-old son, Emery Jr. The father also points a finger at the La Jolla Brew House, which he claims served alcohol to “obviously intoxicated” minors. Kauanui, who lives in Hawaii, is seeking unspecified damages.
Named in the lawsuit are Seth Cravens, 23; Eric House, 21; Orlando Osuna, 23; Matthew Yanke, 22; and Henri “Hank” Hendricks, 23.
All five were charged with murder, but four pleaded guilty to lesser charges and were sentenced to jail as a condition of probation. Cravens was found guilty of second-degree murder and other charges and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Kauanui’s mother, Cynthia Kauanui, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in July against the five men, their parents and the bar. She and Emery Kauanui Sr. are divorced.
Claudette Mannixx, owner of the La Jolla Brew House, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
2 Responses to “Emery Kauanui Sr. Files Suit Against Son’s Attackers”
I hope the Kauanui family gets every penny they ask for in thier suit against the offenders, including the bar where said initial altercation took place. The $ will never replace Emery, not even close, but the justice of taking from them (the offenders and cowards) that which they hold near and dear i.e; $, would make me feel good. The fact that All of those disgusting men didn’t get the death sentence, as they should have , in my view, just reinforces that our system is Not just. Maybe the outcome would have been different if the judges son was the that needlessly died. Shame on him, he dosen’t have the common sense to sit on a bench where justice is supposed to be served. My condolences to the Kauanui family.
By ruth on May 2, 2009